Butler Service in Suites?

[curtdesilets]

We have booked a couple Sky Suites on Level 12 of Century for a Pacific Coastal later this month.

 

I have a few questions on the Butler service?

 

1) Packing and unpacking: How does that work? Do you just leave your luggage on the bed and voila, it is all put away? :rolleyes:

 

2) Tipping? I like to leave an extra tip, especially if our butler is good and helpful. we will have elderly parents in an adjacent stateroom who will need a lot of butler help. Is it a cardinal sin to tip him/her at the beginning, or should we tip at the end?

 

3) Any other suggestions or tips about celebrity suite butlers in general?

 

Oh and not related to the butler:

 

4) On room service, do we tip those guys/gals, and how much?

[Cruising89143]

Can't answer about the packing/unpacking as I don't use the butler to handle this but when they introduce themselves on the first day you can let them know at that time.

 

We tip on the last evening of the cruise.

 

Room service is usually delivered by your butler but if someone else were to bring your order then I always tip at that time. The amount depends on you. There is no set limit.

Edited March 1, 2014 by cruisingator2

[Phxazzcruisers]

Packing and unpacking will only be done with you there watching them. We have never used this service and from previous posts I do not believe many, if any actually do. I do not want them going through my clothes, I would much rather do it myself. They are great, they have always taken very good care of us. Tipping is a very personal thing. We usually tip at the end of the cruise for great service with a thank you card and cash even though we are always on prepaid tips. your butler will be delivering your room service, again, tipping extra each time is completely up to you. What is very important for them is to be mentioned on the comment card at the end of the cruise. That is how the cruise line gives them promotions and raises. Enjoy your cruise

[curtdesilets]

Seems like the butler handles anything, including room service.

 

That being said, can the Butler bring a special order item say off the MDR menu during Formal Night, if we aren't feeling like dressing up?

 

The reason I ask this, is on our last Oceania cruise, we just had a standard OV cabin, and it was not allowed. You had to have a higher stateroom with a butler to get anything off the MDR menu delivered. It was a bit annoying as my wife was not feeling well, and they would not budge an inch. :mad:

[SuiteTraveler]

The butler will bring your room service - you arrange all that through him. It is nice if you let the butler know the night before for a breakfast service but they are generally very flexible and will do anything you ask of them as long as it is reasonable. I've held parties in my suite and had the butler come to serve and pose for photos with my guests. Always tip at the end of the cruise. I've never had a butler unpack for me but they will do it, if you wish. You will also get a really terrific stateroom attendant - they usually put the best ones on the suites and they are very willing to help with anything special you need as well.

 

 

Butler help = food and liquor service

Stateroom attendant = housekeeping service

 

Typical Butler duties:

 

Assist with packing and unpacking

Deliver hors d'oeuvres and course-by-course meals

Expedite laundry, dry-cleaning and pressing services

Mix a martini

Draw a bubble bath

Arrange in-suite cocktail or dinner parties

 

Keep in mind the Butler also has other suites to serve, so you don't want to totally dominate his/her time or prevent him/her from offering great service to other suite guests.

 

Yes, the butler can usually bring you anything off the Main Dining Room Menu and also from the extra fee restaurants, although you will have to pay the extra fee if you order from those restaurants.

 

I'm not sure what kind of butler help you are expecting for your elderly parents. The butler mainly handles room service and brings snacks. If your parents need more help than that such as with getting dressed/bathed, you should bring a caregiver on this trip to assist them.

Edited March 1, 2014 by SuiteTraveler

[Lsimon]

Seems like the butler handles anything, including room service.

 

That being said, can the Butler bring a special order item say off the MDR menu during Formal Night, if we aren't feeling like dressing up?

 

The reason I ask this, is on our last Oceania cruise, we just had a standard OV cabin, and it was not allowed. You had to have a higher stateroom with a butler to get anything off the MDR menu delivered. It was a bit annoying as my wife was not feeling well, and they would not budge an inch. :mad:

 

On Celebrity any cabin can order dinner off the MDR menu during the normal dinner hours.

 

In standard rooms room service brings everything at once and leaves it. In a suite your butler will set up the table nice and serve it by course.

Edited March 1, 2014 by Lsimon

[curtdesilets]

Packing and unpacking will only be done with you there watching them. We have never used this service and from previous posts I do not believe many, if any actually do. I do not want them going through my clothes, I would much rather do it myself. They are great, they have always taken very good care of us. Tipping is a very personal thing. We usually tip at the end of the cruise for great service with a thank you card and cash even though we are always on prepaid tips. your butler will be delivering your room service, again, tipping extra each time is completely up to you. What is very important for them is to be mentioned on the comment card at the end of the cruise. That is how the cruise line gives them promotions and raises. Enjoy your cruise

 

Thanks for the tipping advice!

 

I would love to try the unpacking service, as it is always a pain to do once you are in "cruise mode" on the first day and have had the welcome champagne, etc. But my wife, I think, would agree with you and she would not want some stranger going through all of her stuff. I would have no qualms whatsoever with my luggage. Maybe we can do a split. Have him help with mine after or before she unpacks :)

[Murray's Pop]

Your experience will vary based on your butler. On our October Hawaii cruise on Century, we had the absolute WORST butler we have ever experienced. We was new to Celebrity, and obviously not well trained. Needless to say, he did NOT receive a tip.

[Murray's Pop]

On Celebrity any cabin can order dinner off the MDR menu during the normal dinner hours.

 

In standard rooms room service brings everything at once and leaves it. In a suite your butler will set up the table nice and serve it by course.

 

 

Unfortunately, ours did not do a nice table set up, or serve by course.

[curtdesilets]

On Celebrity any cabin can order dinner off the MDR menu during the normal dinner hours.

 

In standard rooms room service brings everything at once and leaves it. In a suite your butler will set up the table nice and serve it by course.

 

That's why we love Celebrity.

 

I understood why Oceania does have that quirky rule. It is one of their "perks" for having a butler. BTW, Oceania's regular room service menu is no where near their MDR menu, which is about the best on the planet.

 

I was considering going to the MDR, grabbing a plate, and personally delivering it to the room. Then I thought otherwise. :p

[wwcruisers]

We've never taken advantage of having our butler deliver a meal -- although we've thought about having a full breakfast on the balcony, more than once -- something we still need to try. We are often sitting out on our balcony when the butlers bring the "tea cart" around. We don't care for the appetizers they bring, so we just asked our butler to bring a cheese plate out to us, every day. If we weren't there, he would cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in the cabin. :cool:

Edited March 1, 2014 by wwcruisers

[Phxazzcruisers]

There is nothing like sitting on your balcony in great weather having a great breakfast !!! Enjoy your cruise

[dkjretired]

The butler will bring your room service - you arrange all that through him. It is nice if you let the butler know the night before for a breakfast service but they are generally very flexible and will do anything you ask of them as long as it is reasonable. I've held parties in my suite and had the butler come to serve and pose for photos with my guests. Always tip at the end of the cruise. I've never had a butler unpack for me but they will do it, if you wish. You will also get a really terrific stateroom attendant - they usually put the best ones on the suites and they are very willing to help with anything special you need as well.

 

 

Butler help = food and liquor service

Stateroom attendant = housekeeping service

 

Typical Butler duties:

 

Assist with packing and unpacking

Deliver hors d'oeuvres and course-by-course meals

Expedite laundry, dry-cleaning and pressing services

Mix a martini

Draw a bubble bath

Arrange in-suite cocktail or dinner parties

 

Keep in mind the Butler also has other suites to serve, so you don't want to totally dominate his/her time or prevent him/her from offering great service to other suite guests.

 

Yes, the butler can usually bring you anything off the Main Dining Room Menu and also from the extra fee restaurants, although you will have to pay the extra fee if you order from those restaurants.

 

I'm not sure what kind of butler help you are expecting for your elderly parents. The butler mainly handles room service and brings snacks. If your parents need more help than that such as with getting dressed/bathed, you should bring a caregiver on this trip to assist them.

 

Have never heard of a butler delivering from the specialty restaurants, don't believe they do take out.

[DesertPesce7751]

Wait, did someone say they'll draw your bubble bath for you? So after a long day's excursion, it can be ready with some planning ahead? You're speaking my language...

[Zoey]

Wait, did someone say they'll draw your bubble bath for you? So after a long day's excursion, it can be ready with some planning ahead? You're speaking my language...

 

Seriously?

[Gonzo70]

Wait, did someone say they'll draw your bubble bath for you? So after a long day's excursion, it can be ready with some planning ahead? You're speaking my language...

 

And wash your back and feed you grapes and champagne as you bathe. :D

[elena7seas]

Packing and unpacking will only be done with you there watching them. We have never used this service and from previous posts I do not believe many, if any actually do. I do not want them going through my clothes, I would much rather do it myself. They are great, they have always taken very good care of us. Tipping is a very personal thing. We usually tip at the end of the cruise for great service with a thank you card and cash even though we are always on prepaid tips. your butler will be delivering your room service, again, tipping extra each time is completely up to you. What is very important for them is to be mentioned on the comment card at the end of the cruise. That is how the cruise line gives them promotions and raises. Enjoy your cruise

 

We have had a Sky Suite several times. My husband appreciates having the butler unpack for him. Although I pack everything for myself in packing cubes, I do not ask for the packing service. We have never been in the suite when the butler unpacked.

 

The butler has always delivered the room service if it was a full meal, such as breakfast, or dinner from the MDR. He asks us whether we want to have service on the balcony or on the inside table. The table is set up nicely with a tablecloth and flowers. If we are only having "light room service", it is sometimes delivered by others.

 

Whenever we receive room service by anyone other than our butler, we tip at the time of delivery. We give additional gratuities to the butler at the end of the cruise, along with a note in a thank you card. I always complete an Attention to Detail card for excellent service as well.

 

We just returned from 11 nights on the Century. During the first part of the back-to-back we had Elvis as our butler for Sky Suite 1220. He was excellent in every way.

[curtdesilets]

We have had a Sky Suite several times. My husband appreciates having the butler unpack for him. Although I pack everything for myself in packing cubes, I do not ask for the packing service. We have never been in the suite when the butler unpacked.

 

The butler has always delivered the room service if it was a full meal, such as breakfast, or dinner from the MDR. He asks us whether we want to have service on the balcony or on the inside table. The table is set up nicely with a tablecloth and flowers. If we are only having "light room service", it is sometimes delivered by others.

 

Whenever we receive room service by anyone other than our butler, we tip at the time of delivery. We give additional gratuities to the butler at the end of the cruise, along with a note in a thank you card. I always complete an Attention to Detail card for excellent service as well.

 

We just returned from 11 nights on the Century. During the first part of the back-to-back we had Elvis as our butler for Sky Suite 1220. He was excellent in every way.

 

We are in a nearby Sky Suite on Century, so hopefully we too will have Elvis.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the info and suggestions. I shared a few with our parents who are travelling with us.

[Jane2357]

Your butler is there to pamper you and as I can swear after 14 nights on Eclipse in an S1 - they do their job well!

 

Every morning at 6:30 we had coffee delivered to our cabin as our wake up call, on port days this would also include a full breakfast with with table cloth and the coffee being served. Afternoons we always had our cheese and cracker plate, but shortly after there he was back with shrimp cocktail or cookies.

 

We didn't have him unpack for us but he did organized champagne and mimosas for our Cruise Critic cabin crawl which ended in our cabin with him there to pour and serve. He took it upon himself to get Celebrity to comp the party. :D

 

We did tip him at the start of our cruise, and then again with anything above and beyond what would normally be expected and again at the end. Was it the tip - I don't believe so - this man was so concerned when I came down with a chest infection - he would bring me hot tea and honey without asking. He took such pride in his job and the room stewards were right there every step of the way. A suite on Celebrity is a treat - I hope you enjoy it.

[greg in VA]

I'm in a Penthouse Suite this summer and I'm interested in hosting a party for other Cruise Critic members. What items are typically comp'ed for that and which items are charged?

[Project_gal]

I'm in a Penthouse Suite this summer and I'm interested in hosting a party for other Cruise Critic members. What items are typically comp'ed for that and which items are charged?

 

Food: cold snacks are included; hot snacks are charged for

 

Drink: fruit juice, tea and coffee are included; sodas, water and alcoholic drinks are charged for

[Jane2357]

I'm in a Penthouse Suite this summer and I'm interested in hosting a party for other Cruise Critic members. What items are typically comp'ed for that and which items are charged?

 

We were just in a Sky suite - and after I asked the Butler and the room stewards to make sure everything was in tip top shape early the next day due to a cabin crawl (that was ending in our cabin) - the butler took it upon himself to get X to comp us champagne and mimosas for 25-30 people but I did not ask for anything.

 

I believe that they did this because a cabin crawl indicates people are interested in other cabin types and this is a sales opportunity for them. The butler was present for a short period of time to help serve and of course we tipped him very well for his effort.

 

The Penthouse is a totally different thing - I'm never had the pleasure but I'd find it hard to believe that they wouldn't do whatever it took to make you happy.

 

[cle-guy]

Seriously?

 

Yes, I asked mine to have the whirlpool on the veranda filled and ready for 7pm. I wanted it pre filled because the cold water didn't wok, so the hot water had to cool off to use it.

[cle-guy]

I'm in a Penthouse Suite this summer and I'm interested in hosting a party for other Cruise Critic members. What items are typically comp'ed for that and which items are charged?

 

I hosted a sail-away on reflection in November in the PH.

 

I preordered 5 bottles of bubbly thru gifts by celebrity, got with captains club hostess on boarding and explained what I was doing, and during muster they prepped the cabin and had several trays of sandwiches and sweets, and 50 champagne glasses neatly laid out on the table and several buckets of ice to hill several bottles. I had 40-60 people come by. Some of the ships officers came by to say hello, concierge stopped and gifted a couple more bottles.

 

Now that search is back, do a search for butler lists, and you will find a very useful thread with many folk's experiences.

 

If you think all the food and such is an imposition, don't worry. It was just trays of the same nibbles that were on the buffet, so surely they just grabbed a couple from stock and brought them down.

 

 

Oh, and the cost, ZERO (other than I paid for the bottles I ordered thru Gifts). I did of course tip.

Edited March 5, 2014 by cle-guy

[cle-guy]

Have never heard of a butler delivering from the specialty restaurants, don't believe they do take out.

 

It is possible, so long as the appropriate cover charge is paid.