Butler Service

[our turn]

Packing and unpacking, to me is a little personal. Not sure I could bring myself to accept that particular service.

I think we need to use a little common sense when deciding what to ask of the butler. On the first leg of our btb cruise our neighbors had kids (nothing against them, we have 4) and were extremely high maintenance. For example, they called Dan at least twice every time he was in our cabin. Overheard enough to know that they were pretty unreasonable. They requested that he put the pack & play up and down twice in the morning, twice in the afternoon and of course at night because they had kids that napped at different times. They also had a standing order for snacks 4 times a day.

We probably asked less of him the first cruise because we knew he was sretched too thin. He seemed concerned that we were not asking anything of him.

[scotslizzy]

We had our first Celebrity cruise last year and had a celebrity suite on Eclipse . Very professional and discrete .

 

We did not ask too much our Daniel (is this the same DAN that some of you are referring to ?) .He was from Romania and nothing ever flustered him and I did hear the cruisers next to our room requesting thinkgs all the time . Could not help hearing as they bellowed not just to him but to everyone .

 

We are cruising on the Solstice in September and have booked a Celebrity suite so we can experience the very high level of service again.

 

One question for thos of you had dinner in your suite .

How was the food kept hot? I hate when my food is lukewarm and we only had one breakfast on the balcony for this very reason .It may just have been our bad luck as the cruise was a windy one to the Canaries and I remember thinking breakfast on the balcony might not have been the best idea !

 

Cheers

 

Scotslizzy

[LucyTX]

We will be in our first suite and looking forward to the butler service. We will be in a Celebrity Suite for a transatlantic cruise. Can anyone answer how much we will able to utilize the balcony on sea days (to windy?) and also I would love to have breakfast and a few dinners in the room...is the food hot, and also, where will it be served, because there is no dining table.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Dr. Pam]

WE will be cruising abaord the Equinox in a Royal Suite this summer. Questions???? If we request, will the butler bring us a breakfast every morning? Could he prearrange a sailaway

party? I do not want to ever abuse his/her services, but rather what what deem a normal request? ALso, please what the guidelines for gratuities/day for a family of 4 in a RoYal Suite.

[colocop004]

I have completely enjoyed reading aobut the butler services on X. I have been reliving our first and only sailing with a butler on the Solstice last November. I have sailed on 2 Celeberity cruises, once in a C1 and the other in a Sky Suite.

 

While both cruise were amazing, I have to admit that the service provided by our Butler were second to none. Everthing we asked for ws provided with a smile and exceeded our expectations 1000%.

 

The second to last night of our cruise, we decided to have a last minute party in our Suite for our new friends we had met on board. Trough out the evening we had approximately 50 guest in our cabin. Our butler ensured that we had appetisers, wine, Champagne and beer for everyone. While we paid for all of the alcohol (as mentioned before room service is not included in the beverage packages) everything else was free.

 

Our butler came into the room, set up tables, decorated, corked the wine, opened the Champagne..... We thought that was way more than what we had expected, but then he actually stayed and served our guests with out us asking him to do so. Our party ended right before the late seating for dinner and everyone left to go eat. After dinner we returned to our suite to change and the cabin was spotless, you would not have been able to tell that we had 50 guests in our suite at all.

 

We talk about our Butler at least weekly since our cruise ended, he truly was amazing!!!

 

His name you ask, Nelson! If anyone has the chance to have Nelson as their butler you are very lucky indeed!!!

 

We are booked in a Sky Suite (next to 2 couples whom we met on the last sailing also in suites) on the Eclipse next November. We hope that we have butler as good as Nelson!

[colocop004]

WE will be cruising abaord the Equinox in a Royal Suite this summer. Questions???? If we request, will the butler bring us a breakfast every morning? Could he prearrange a sailaway

party? I do not want to ever abuse his/her services, but rather what what deem a normal request? ALso, please what the guidelines for gratuities/day for a family of 4 in a RoYal Suite.

 

I would also like to know if we are able to pre-arrange a sail away party, how would one request this?

[Mercury]

How many suites does each butler serve? And what is the recommended tip for a butler?

 

Thanks, this thread is very informative!

[safein]

Here's answers to some of the questions asked here:

 

1) Yes, you can have breakfast in your suite every morning. You won't be able to request it that AM, but will have like a room service type menu that you will need to leave on your door before you go to bed. If there's anything not there, you'll need to ask. Also, you can arrange where you have your meals in advance, like the dining room in the suite or the balcony.

 

2) When you first meet your butler on the first day, make sure you have a list of things you would like him to do: Pre-arranging for a party would be the first; if you want to have some of your Cruise Critic friends over at some point during your cruise this is most important. Just make sure you give him your exact date and time and how many. For a pre-sailaway party, I would suggest you talk to Customer Service in advance and make you get your confirmations back in writing. Just remember one main thing, just don't make it too elaborate!

 

3) The norm for tipping your butler is like the cabin steward: $3.50 per PERSON, per DAY in your suite. We gave ours a little extra on our sailing on the Infinity because we were travelling with another couple who stayed in their own cabin, but we gave them unlimited access to our suite. One thing I will say is if you have some real things you want your butler to do that goes above and beyond (like for us, having our breakfast table set for 4; getting enough hors d'ourvres for 4 every day, etc) you just might want to give him something extra when you first meet him. It worked wonders for us!

 

All you have to do is to talk to your butler when you first meet him on the first day. As soon as you arrive in your suite, he'll just about pop right in!

 

ENJOY!!!! and don't forget: JUST ASK!

 

Anita

[Dr. Pam]

I think that I am very much looking forward to meeting our butler!

[bellybutton530]

My cruise is 6.5 months away, and I am already making a list for my butler. I'm hoping that it is the same one we had last year for the same cabin, but only time will tell.

 

Once I have my list ready, I print it up on some nice paper and hand it to him when we meet for the first time. I also enclose some lucky bucks so that he knows that I am capable of rewarding fantastic service in advance. It works every time....:p

 

Have a fantastic cruise.

[kennelgang]

My cruise is 6.5 months away, and I am already making a list for my butler. I'm hoping that it is the same one we had last year for the same cabin, but only time will tell.

 

Once I have my list ready, I print it up on some nice paper and hand it to him when we meet for the first time. I also enclose some lucky bucks so that he knows that I am capable of rewarding fantastic service in advance. It works every time....:p

 

Have a fantastic cruise.

 

Hey Cheryl,

 

Could you please post your "butler list" when it is finished? We will have our first butler on the Century, Hawaii 10/2/11, and we don't want to miss something we could have asked for.

 

Thanks,

Bob

[bellybutton530]

Hey Cheryl,

 

Could you please post your "butler list" when it is finished? We will have our first butler on the Century, Hawaii 10/2/11, and we don't want to miss something we could have asked for.

 

Thanks,

Bob

 

I don't mind sharing, just not on a big old thread. Send me an email, and I'll send you a copy to have a laugh at.... I get really specific.

[fleckle]

............3) The norm for tipping your butler is like the cabin steward: $3.50 per PERSON, per DAY in your suite. We gave ours a little extra on our sailing on the Infinity because we were travelling with another couple who stayed in their own cabin, but we gave them unlimited access to our suite......

It is quite common for people who book a suite to book their children (or other family members or friends) into a nearby cabin. Then the butler ends up serving all of them, not just the people from the suite, so we believe that it is only right to provide additional compensation for the extra people who basically are receiving the same services from the butler as those who are actually booked in the suite.

[SingingMom1]

I don't mind sharing, just not on a big old thread. Send me an email, and I'll send you a copy to have a laugh at.... I get really specific.

 

 

Will be sending you an email requesting this info, as well! ;)

[guy999]

i don't know how to send you a email but i tried to send the only request that i know how to send.

 

also should i just tip every day for the butler, like cash daily, but i do want to have breakfast and all of the other things that everyone is describing and I don't know if it would be appropriate to tip every day or better at the end of the trip.

 

I even would give more, but I almost would like my butler to see it before hand so that it might make a difference as the trip goes on.

 

I used to be a bartender and the ones who tipped better got better service when they came back, but since i'm lucky to go on a cruise every 2-3 years it's unlikely i will see the same person again.

 

Also does anyone know who is a good butler on equinox, i'm in a RS in May.

[bellybutton530]

i don't know how to send you a email but i tried to send the only request that i know how to send.

 

also should i just tip every day for the butler, like cash daily, but i do want to have breakfast and all of the other things that everyone is describing and I don't know if it would be appropriate to tip every day or better at the end of the trip.

 

I even would give more, but I almost would like my butler to see it before hand so that it might make a difference as the trip goes on.

 

I used to be a bartender and the ones who tipped better got better service when they came back, but since i'm lucky to go on a cruise every 2-3 years it's unlikely i will see the same person again.

 

Also does anyone know who is a good butler on equinox, i'm in a RS in May.

 

Write down my email address, and the next time you are in your email, send me a note. You cannot hit that link; it doesn't work for me either.

[guy999]

sorry i didn't get a reply before, do people the butler the same as everyone else, ie at the end, or do they tip along the way for extra service.

[bellybutton530]

If you sign up for gratuities to be added to your onboard account, the butler will get at least $3.50 per day that you are on your cruise.

 

When I present my list to my butler and we discuss it, I always give him some money in advance, and indicate that there is more where that came from, depending upon how well he completes my list. And at the end of the cruise he always gets that extra amount, as he almost always exceeds my expectations.

 

Sometimes, during the cruise, I may hand certain folks who are doing an exceptional job some lucky bucks to spend in ports along the way. Normally, by the end of the second day, I know who is cutting the mustard, and who isn't.

 

Everyone has his or her own system. If this is your first time having a butler, determine how much or little you want him to do for you, and then decide if he is earning the minimum amount or if more is in order. I sent you my list; I always expect to pay more.

[guy999]

If you sign up for gratuities to be added to your onboard account, the butler will get at least $3.50 per day that you are on your cruise.

 

When I present my list to my butler and we discuss it, I always give him some money in advance, and indicate that there is more where that came from, depending upon how well he completes my list. And at the end of the cruise he always gets that extra amount, as he almost always exceeds my expectations.

 

Sometimes, during the cruise, I may hand certain folks who are doing an exceptional job some lucky bucks to spend in ports along the way. Normally, by the end of the second day, I know who is cutting the mustard, and who isn't.

 

Everyone has his or her own system. If this is your first time having a butler, determine how much or little you want him to do for you, and then decide if he is earning the minimum amount or if more is in order. I sent you my list; I always expect to pay more.

 

 

this is the way that i usually do it and i have had good results by tipping early because then they know that if i am expecting a lot at least they are going to be compensated for it, i wouldn't do it for a stateroom attendant or anyone else, but since it does seem that many of the things that i may ask for from the butler are a bit in left field then I was him/her to know that the work is worth it.

[Dr. Pam]

If you sign up for gratuities to be added to your onboard account, the butler will get at least $3.50 per day that you are on your cruise.

 

When I present my list to my butler and we discuss it, I always give him some money in advance, and indicate that there is more where that came from, depending upon how well he completes my list. And at the end of the cruise he always gets that extra amount, as he almost always exceeds my expectations.

 

Sometimes, during the cruise, I may hand certain folks who are doing an exceptional job some lucky bucks to spend in ports along the way. Normally, by the end of the second day, I know who is cutting the mustard, and who isn't.

 

Everyone has his or her own system. If this is your first time having a butler, determine how much or little you want him to do for you, and then decide if he is earning the minimum amount or if more is in order. I sent you my list; I always expect to pay more.

 

 

bb530...

I agree with a little change upfront. Some may believe that this is not the time nor place. However, my experience has been the same as yours.....it is mutually beneficial to all parties involved.

 

I do have a tentative list of requests, the first being that I wish to organize a sailaway party. Have you ever requested this....and how much is too much? (I realize that the staff has just had a tremendously busy morning getting ready for their new group of passengers.)

 

Also, are there any special things, events, hidden gems that we should request or be made aware of while staying in a Royal Suite.......

 

 

I

Edited May 26, 2011 by Dr. Pam

[bellybutton530]

bb530...

I agree with a little change upfront. Some may believe that this is not the time nor place. However, my experience has been the same as yours.....it is mutually beneficial to all parties involved.

 

I do have a tentative list of requests, the first being that I wish to organize a sailaway party. Have you ever requested this....and how much is too much? (I realize that the staff has just had a tremendously busy morning getting ready for their new group of passengers.)

 

Also, are there any special things, events, hidden gems that we should request or be made aware of while staying in a Royal Suite.......

 

 

I

 

Hey Doc, jot me off an email, and I'll respond to your questions.

[safein]

Dr. Pam,

 

Just don't forget CD's you want to play! One great thing about bring in a Royal Suite is you'll have a nice little nook that has a vanity (Right by the second sliding door to the balcony! I used it a LOT on our last cruise.

 

As I mentioned before, talk to Customer Service and also try to figure out the time of your party well in advance. Your butler will be made aware of it and you can go over the fine details when you meet him.

 

Anita

[Dr. Pam]

Dr. Pam,

 

Just don't forget CD's you want to play! One great thing about bring in a Royal Suite is you'll have a nice little nook that has a vanity (Right by the second sliding door to the balcony! I used it a LOT on our last cruise.

 

As I mentioned before, talk to Customer Service and also try to figure out the time of your party well in advance. Your butler will be made aware of it and you can go over the fine details when you meet him.

 

Anita

 

Do they have docking stations......Ipod takes up less room than CD's.......but I definitely like the idea of a little Nora Jones pre-dinner music. :)

Edited May 27, 2011 by Dr. Pam

[SusieV]

After reading this thread, I am so hoping to get a price drop so I can upgrade to a Sky Suite. Right now it's more than double the cost of my balcony so I just can't swing it... but maybe my cruise won't sell well? :)

[Dr. Pam]

Hey Doc, jot me off an email, and I'll respond to your questions.

 

 

Just did. Thank you!