Suites - Butlers

We've had a few suite upgrades on mini cruises then 'splashed out' on a suite as a one off on a wonderful cruise to the US & Canada for our 25th.

Unfortunately what other people have said is true, and we find ourselves looking for opportunities to justify to ourselves that we should have a suite [emoji23]

So... we have booked later in the year for my husband's 50th, perhaps a dangerous precedent as I'm 50 next year (better start saving).

I do wonder whether P&O are clever enough when they ask personal details on questionnaires to strategically target people with upgrades to hook them in [emoji849]

Sorry I will get to my question... it's for DaiB, I seem to recall it being said that you either dispense with a Butler service or you don't and there isn't an in-between. I was thinking about this because we only really want the Butler to bring us breakfast, and we would rather use regular room service the rest of the time (it's less intrusive and they make better hot chocolate[emoji23]). We aren't interested in canapés. Can we do this Dai?

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You can do anything you want, you are paying the bill. We tend not to get the breakfasts now as each ship have a venue for suite passengers. We do get the canapés and get the butler to pour us a drink at that time. That's about it. He is useful for booking restaurants and stuff like that. He gets you your tender tickets. We tend to have a party and he will organise that for you. We have never found a butler to be obtrusive at all.

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You can do anything you want, you are paying the bill. We tend not to get the breakfasts now as each ship have a venue for suite passengers. We do get the canapés and get the butler to pour us a drink at that time. That's about it. He is useful for booking restaurants and stuff like that. He gets you your tender tickets. We tend to have a party and he will organise that for you. We have never found a butler to be obtrusive at all.

 

 

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Thanks Dai, last time we had a suite it was really hard to get normal room service [emoji53]

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I know that you were only wanting the opinion of one specific poster, but I couldn't resist sharing that the butlers we have had have been very quick to highlight the virtues of room service - being far too lazy to offer full in-suite dining. We don't decline the service as we have paid for it, but just use butlers for the delivery of the (very poor) canapés and next days menus. We have found them to be downright lazy and will try to get away with doing as little as possible.

Hi Selbourne, you're welcome to chip in, I just referred to Dai because I remembered he made a comment once about something similar. In the last cruise the Butler wasn't keen on bringing breakfast and did all he could to get us into Sindhu but I stood my ground. He didn't want us to use room service at all in 'his' hours, I guess this is their system, but we found room service a better solution for us. Some of the things are great like breakfast in cabin and MDR menus (especially as I have an allergy) but other than that I'd rather they stayed away. I probably sound ungrateful but they seem to ask so many questions I dread them knocking the door.

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It would be nice to be able to afford that problem!:)

I have to say I have never come across a lazy one. They have all been excellent. Never felt the need for in cabin dining so have not used it apart from breakfast which we have had on many occasions. Each butler has been excellent in providing a party. I suspect when they know that we are regular suite users they know that we know what to expect. In all our cruises we have only used room service 3/4 times.

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I'm sure if we dug our heels in and made demands, they would oblige. But frankly we can't be bothered. If it's not naturally forthcoming then we wouldn't enjoy it. We don't want meals in our suite, we prefer to go to the restaurants (especially The Epicurean for breakfast) but once my wife stayed on board when I went ashore and when she called the Butler about lunch (which should be the full restaurant menu served in the suite by him) he told her to call room service. When we have enquired about select dining restaurants we have been told the number to call. I could go on.

We would never have a party in our suite out of consideration for those in neighbouring cabins. I know how irritating I would find it if trying to relax or rest in my cabin with a noisy gathering next door. There are plenty of public bars for that.

I'm sure if we dug our heels in and made demands, they would oblige. But frankly we can't be bothered. If it's not naturally forthcoming then we wouldn't enjoy it. We don't want meals in our suite, we prefer to go to the restaurants (especially The Epicurean for breakfast) but once my wife stayed on board when I went ashore and when she called the Butler about lunch (which should be the full restaurant menu served in the suite by him) he told her to call room service. When we have enquired about select dining restaurants we have been told the number to call. I could go on.

 

We would never have a party in our suite out of consideration for those in neighbouring cabins. I know how irritating I would find it if trying to relax or rest in my cabin with a noisy gathering next door. There are plenty of public bars for that.

Each to his own but we don't have noisy drinks parties and they usually happen when half the ship are are at dinner.

You must be very unlucky as we have never havd a butler refuse anything. In fact got quite upset when we told him we had booked something ourselves.

BTW in suite dining needs some notice, not just a phone call.

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It would be nice to be able to afford that problem!:)

Haha I have to drive around in a 16 year old car to afford it [emoji23] I suspect as soon as one of us is no longer in full time employment or retired we will be back in an inside.

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We had a suite twice on Britannia last year and once on Aurora and just those few times found the butler to be excellent. We don't use them much to be honest, but we enjoy passing the time of day with them when they bring the canapés and menus. We hope to upgrade to suites on our upcoming Arcadia cruises.

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We had a suite twice on Britannia last year and once on Aurora and just those few times found the butler to be excellent. We don't use them much to be honest, but we enjoy passing the time of day with them when they bring the canapés and menus. We hope to upgrade to suites on our upcoming Arcadia cruises.

 

 

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Hope you get to upgrade [emoji4]

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Thanks Florry! I will be asking how much to upgrade nearer departure date!

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Thanks Florry! I will be asking how much to upgrade nearer departure date!

 

 

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I may be wrong, but I don't believe that there's ever an option to call P&O and secure a bargain upgrade. You either have to book what you want in the first place and pay the price (as we do) or run the risk and keep your fingers crossed and hope that you will get a call offering you an upgrade, which you may or may not receive.

If you could book a lower grade cabin in the knowledge that at some stage between then and departure you could call and secure a discounted upgrade then that would surely undermine the whole booking process?

I've never really understood how the upgrade offers are determined (in terms of who gets offered them) and wouldn't be prepared to risk it, but I do believe that meaningful upgrades (such as a move up to a suite when you didn't book one, as opposed to a grade change within the same cabin type), even when offered, aren't free as implied. I know of people being offered an upgrade to a suite for £100 which is irritating for those of us who booked one in the first place and paid the full suite price!

We have had two upgrades to a suite one paid for and one free. The free one was on Oriana and came with a phone call from P&O on the Thursday when we sailed on the Sun/Mon following. Clearly we got it as someone must have cancelled very late.

However I do agree you cannot just ring up and ask for an upgrade, for any cabin grade. They have allowed you to cancel and rebook but you lose your deposit. In any case most if not all of the cruises we have been on in the last 5/6 years the suites have been the first to sell out. E.g. We are on Ventura next Jan to the Caribbean and most grades of suite are full and the ones left are on sale for about 20% more than we paid.

The upgrade fairy does work just not that often.

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Just re checked the suites available now are over 30% more after removing OBC.

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We were given a free upgrade to a suite - highest grade mid ship R deck on Ventura on our first P&O cruise November 2011. We had booked a SD in the January so not sure if it's because we booked early? I didn't receive a call I only found out about it when looking on my CP!

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One of my upgrades was free, two paid for (one on Princess) and the other time we paid full - from memory.

Elviex didn't say he/she was looking for a free upgrade, I took it that they might upgrade their cabin at a cost nearer the time if they can. I suspect we might lose out booking a suite on a canaries cruise but don't want to risk not getting one for this 'special' occasion.

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