Butlers, what services do they provide?

[fastnloose]

Thinking of booking a suite on Azura. Wondering if there is much advantage of a butler over a steward, considering the extra cost involved.

[annieuk]

We have had suites on various P&O ships including Azura. The Butler is mainly responsible for all your food and drink needs. He will sort out things like ice and lemon slices if you want them for your fridge. He will bring canapes each evening around 5pm and may ask what you want to do for breakfast the next morning. As you are on Azura you have the opportunity to have breakfast in the Select Dining Epicurean restaurant. This is fantastic - it's only for those passengers in suites. The menu is small but all freshly prepared and cooked. My husband loves the French toast with maple bacon and I really like their bagel with smoked salmon and caviar hollandaise. The orange juice is freshly squeezed - all really good. If you are in warmer climes then you can dine outside on the balcony. However, if you wish you can choose to have breakfast in your suite. You can choose anything from the Main Dining Room Menu - so this includes cooked. Your Butler will bring it to your suite at a time of your choosing, lay a tablecloth either on the table in the suite or out on the balcony if it's fine, and then serve the meal.

 

You can also have lunch and dinner served in your suite if you wish, again you can have anything from the MDR menu. If you want any drinks for the suite the Butler will arrange this for you - you do have to pay for them! If you want to entertain in the suite the Butler will organise this and serve the drinks if you wish. We have often asked our table companions for a drink before dinner one evening. When you return to your suite after dinner all has been cleared away - wonderful.

 

The Butler will organise any bookings you want at any of the Select Dining Restaurants, sort out any laundry you want - again you pay for this - take library books back etc. The Butler will also unpack and pack for you but we've never asked him to do that. The Butler just wants to do anything he can to make your cruise enjoyable - they are a fountain of knowledge.

 

If you choose not to have a Butler then you can still have breakfast in the Epicurean but you can't have any of the other meals I've mentioned where you choose from the MDR Menu. You can only choose things from Room Service. We have always found that the Butler certainly enhances the cruise, they have never been intrusive, always knock and call out asking if they can come in. In a suite the Cabin Steward is responsible for the cleaning, making beds etc. Hope this helps to explain what the Butler does.

[Cruise Puss]

Short answer - yes.

 

They will do everything that annieuk has already mentioned.

 

We do usually ask them to unpack and pack as it frees us up to do something else

 

If you do do that, only get them to do your clothes. It's easier if you unpack the 'bits'. I've left a note before explaining exactly what I would like done. They've usually done it when we've gone to drill.

 

Don't ever bother ringing Reception for anything - always contact your Butler for everything. It usually gets sorted out quicker.

 

Enjoy one (if you book it) - you'll have paid for it and you don't get them at home! 😀

 

 

 

Sent from my Sony Z1 Compact.

Edited October 30, 2016 by Cruise Puss

[fastnloose]

Thank you both for your very helpful replies, I am sorely tempted! Could I ask you another question? If my daughter and son-in-law have another grade of cabin (not suite) can they also join us in the epicurean restaurant if they pay a cover charge?

[Cruise Puss]

Thank you both for your very helpful replies, I am sorely tempted! Could I ask you another question? If my daughter and son-in-law have another grade of cabin (not suite) can they also join us in the epicurean restaurant if they pay a cover charge?

 

The Epicurean is restricted to Suite guests for breakfast only. So if you mean could they join you for breakfast - no they can't. However, if you mean dinner, then yes they can.

[Florry]

We've had suites and are probably not representative of the norm as we don't particularly value a Butler service. I don't dispense with it because we like to order breakfast from The MDR in the cabin and much prefer it to the breakfast in the speciality restaurant because we are lazy on holiday. In fact there are times when to me Butlers become quite wearing. Some are very professional but we've others who are quite high maintenance. Personally I would chose a suite for the size etc. but not for the Butler, we much prefer the Princess approach.

 

 

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[Selbourne]

We have had a suite twice on Britannia and would say that the Butler service is over-rated. Our experience of them has not been great. If you are a seasoned suite traveller over many years, and let them know, then feedback from others would indicate that you get an entirely different service to the complete lack of service we have experienced.

 

If I was being kind, I would say that they are over stretched. If I was being completely honest, based on my experience, I would say that they are lazy and will get away with as little as they can.

 

Our butlers have gone to great lengths to extol the virtues of the Epicurean for breakfast. Now, to be clear, this is one of the benefits of suites that we most value. As others have stated, it is a very civilised affair, although in Epicurean on Britannia the orange juice is most definitely NOT freshly squeezed. However, I believe that the butlers really push this in the hope that you won't ask them to get breakfast for you.

 

We have never been offered in room meals by any of the 3 butlers we have experienced and when we have enquired we have been directed to room service.

 

Yes they bring canapés (but they are mostly vile) and, if you ask, menus for the next day. I asked our last Butler for some fresh milk for drinks. That was apparently a major challenge - although it did appear.

 

When enquiring about select dining reservations we have been told which number to call for the booking line.

 

Maybe we aren't pushy enough and I always talk to them on a level, not in a subservient manner, which may make them think we are a bit of a soft touch, but if you are new to suites my fear would be that you would experience a level of 'service' that is more akin to my experience than some of the examples given above.

 

We don't decline the service, because we've paid for it, but to be honest we have always given up asking them for anything. On our last 7 day cruise I tipped the cabin steward £120 as she had worked like a slave all week. I tipped the Butler £20 and felt that was around £15 more than he had earned.

 

We have a penthouse booked on Ventura in February and a suite on Britannia next summer. Perhaps I will have a better experience. But if the attraction of a Butler is tempting you to part with the vast additional cost of a suite I would urge caution. We justify it for the space, the Epicurean breakfast and the priority boarding.

[Mysticalmother]

Butler....me, I just dream......:):):)

[Florry]

I agree, but I'm fairly insistent about what I want so I do get it - but it always feels like a battle of wills, not what you want on holiday [emoji53] On our last cruise our Butler was unavailable so one of the others brought our order and set the table with a cloth etc. Whereas ours just dumped it and went [emoji23] having said that I'm not complaining because actually I don't want them faffing around the cabin - it's just that you get such a difference in service depending on which one you get.

 

 

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Edited October 30, 2016 by Florry

[Adammara]

We have had suites on P&O 2005 and 2007, Royal Caribbean 2009 and 2011 and Cunard Princess Grill this autumn. IMO P&O come a poor 3rd for the 'perks'.

 

On P&O we only found the butler useful for breakfast, no special restaurants for suite passengers at that time! No butler on RC either, but a lounge with evening happy hours with drinks and snacks.

 

Princess Grill was the best, not a huge cabin, but quite sufficient for us. Your own restaurant, a dedicated table and anytime dining, add a lounge and a deck area you can use if you want to. The food and service were the best we have ever had anywhere.

 

Just in case you are worried, all the people we met were quite normal, one or two characters, but you get them on any cruise!

[Big Foot]

Thinking of booking a suite on Azura. Wondering if there is much advantage of a butler over a steward, considering the extra cost involved.

 

Just to deviate from the subject of Butlers, have you done any research on which suite you may want to book?

 

The reason for asking this is that we've had a mid ship suite on Riveria deck & suffered terribly with noise from the deck above, scraping of chairs / sun loungers etc very early in the morning. The balcony is very narrow you don't get a sun lounger.

 

We've also had an aft suite, A750 which has a large, albeit covered balcony which was far less noisy; we would always try to book this as our first choice. It's actually cheaper than the mid ship balcony suites but in our opinion much better.

 

Just also bear in mind that some of the aft suites have the metal beam running through them which impact on the balcony.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Joan

[mrbluesea]

The most useful thing my Butler did was to tie my self tie bow tie. However he had never done it before and needed the instruction sheet. I've since mastered the skill.

The novelty of having a Butler us a little overrated as they have so many other things to do.

[Selbourne]

Just to deviate from the subject of Butlers, have you done any research on which suite you may want to book?

 

The reason for asking this is that we've had a mid ship suite on Riveria deck & suffered terribly with noise from the deck above, scraping of chairs / sun loungers etc very early in the morning. The balcony is very narrow you don't get a sun lounger.

 

We've also had an aft suite, A750 which has a large, albeit covered balcony which was far less noisy; we would always try to book this as our first choice. It's actually cheaper than the mid ship balcony suites but in our opinion much better.

 

Just also bear in mind that some of the aft suites have the metal beam running through them which impact on the balcony.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Joan

 

Although we haven't had a suite on Azura, this reply reminded us that some friends of ours had a mid-ship suite on Azura and experienced dreadful noise from deck chairs being dragged around by staff at all hours in order to wash down the deck above. They said that they wouldn't book one again for that reason.

[annieuk]

It's a shame some people do not seem to have had good service from their Butler. It's not something we've experienced and we've had suites on Azura, Oceana, Arcadia, Adonia and the old now departed Artemis. We've certainly never had it suggested that we contact Room Service, in fact on one occasion early in our cruising life we did contact Room service to order one of the Chicken and Bacon Baguettes for lunch which we really like. This is one of the items that incurs a supplement. Our Butler happened to be around when lunch was delivered and he told us not to order from Room Service but to let him get it. If he went and got it for us there would be no extra charge for any item that incurred a charge. Sometimes we've asked for one of the baguettes from the Room Service menu and something from the Main Dining Room lunch menu.

 

I think if you start as you mean to go on - friendly but firm in what you want. You can always say that "When I was last in a suite we had....." If you don't get good service do something about it - go and talk to Reception and if necessary ask to see the Passenger Services Manager. You are paying extra for being in a suite so you should receive the level of service that you've paid for. Luckily we always have. I know Dai - knows a lot about suites as he always travels in one but is away on a Back to Back at the moment I believe - if he was around would tell you he always has good service from the Butler.

 

We are on Ventura in an aft suite in January and hopefully we will get good service from the Butler. The best aft suites on Azura and Ventura we believe are A750, A751, C748 and C749. These suites do not have the Stanchion running right through the balcony as some of the others have. A752 and A753 are what P&O call Penthouse suites but all they are are very large single storey, not like the Penthouse suites on Aurora, and have a huge sitting area with proper dining table in, the balcony is large but it has the Stanchion running through it too. We certainly wouldn't pay extra to have one of those two suites, in fact we prefer the others on A and C deck.

[Cruise Puss]

It's a shame some people do not seem to have had good service from their Butler. It's not something we've experienced and we've had suites on Azura, Oceana, Arcadia, Adonia and the old now departed Artemis. We've certainly never had it suggested that we contact Room Service, in fact on one occasion early in our cruising life we did contact Room service to order one of the Chicken and Bacon Baguettes for lunch which we really like. This is one of the items that incurs a supplement. Our Butler happened to be around when lunch was delivered and he told us not to order from Room Service but to let him get it. If he went and got it for us there would be no extra charge for any item that incurred a charge. Sometimes we've asked for one of the baguettes from the Room Service menu and something from the Main Dining Room lunch menu.

 

I think if you start as you mean to go on - friendly but firm in what you want. You can always say that "When I was last in a suite we had....." If you don't get good service do something about it - go and talk to Reception and if necessary ask to see the Passenger Services Manager. You are paying extra for being in a suite so you should receive the level of service that you've paid for. Luckily we always have. I know Dai - knows a lot about suites as he always travels in one but is away on a Back to Back at the moment I believe - if he was around would tell you he always has good service from the Butler.

 

We are on Ventura in an aft suite in January and hopefully we will get good service from the Butler. The best aft suites on Azura and Ventura we believe are A750, A751, C748 and C749. These suites do not have the Stanchion running right through the balcony as some of the others have. A752 and A753 are what P&O call Penthouse suites but all they are are very large single storey, not like the Penthouse suites on Aurora, and have a huge sitting area with proper dining table in, the balcony is large but it has the Stanchion running through it too. We certainly wouldn't pay extra to have one of those two suites, in fact we prefer the others on A and C deck.

 

Strongly agree with all this and strongly disagree that the 'novelty' of having a Butler is overrated - it certainly is not!

 

We've had Suites on Aurora, Britannia, Adonia, Arcadia, Oceana and Azura starting back in 2005 and we've only had one Butler who wasn't up to scratch, although we still used him as much as we always do, he just wasn't as efficient and friendly.

 

I think that, because they are now covering so many more cabins than they used to, they don't always offer their services to 'newbies' like they should. This is why anyone having a Suite, and, therefore, a Butler, for the first time should ensure they ask for as much as possible from the Butler immediately. This way the Butler will assume you want to use him. If you then don't use him much that's your business.

 

For heaven's sake, you have paid a reasonable amount, in some cases, a large amount(!) for a Suite so why on earth would you not use a Butler!

 

As to whether having a Suite is worth it - of course it is! It's bigger, has a much better bathroom, better balcony (at least wider if not deeper) and various other perks.

[Selbourne]

As you can see, it doesn't take long for any subject on here to become quite contentious!

 

It is clear from some of the replies that the use of a Butler is integral to some people's cruise experience and I agree that if the service is available and you have paid for it, then you have a right to expect it.

 

My intention was to simply point out that this doesn't always happen automatically - useful to know if you are new to suites.

 

Also, we all have our own comfort levels as to what we are prepared to let others do for us. Even though I have been in very senior jobs responsible for well over 5,000 people, I have never felt comfortable having junior people 'fawning' over me and I go out of my way to treat everyone with the same respect that they treat me. Conversely, I have had senior people who have worked for me who are entirely comfortable allowing others to attend to their every whim - not in a nasty way, it's just that we are all different.

 

So, for example, the last thing we would want is a Butler unpacking our clothes or worse, packing our dirty laundry. We are quite capable of doing that and feel more comfortable doing so.

 

As for food, we don't see the point in being on a ship with very nice restaurants and then eating main meals in your cabin. Suite or not, they are just cabins and not as nice as a restaurant. However, on very rare occasions, one of us may stay on board in a port and it would have been appreciated rather than dining alone in a restaurant. My point was simply that we were pointed to room service, which shouldn't happen.

 

As previously stated, the benefits for us of staying in a suite are access to a quieter upmarket restaurant for breakfast, the added space and the priority boarding. The Butler adds very little to our experience, but it is good to hear that others value the service more than we do.

Edited October 31, 2016 by Selbourne

[Bruce62]

We are on Ventura in an aft suite in January and hopefully we will get good service from the Butler. The best aft suites on Azura and Ventura we believe are A750, A751, C748 and C749.

 

Please keep this information to yourself in future, as it's hard enough to get these cabins at the best of times:)

 

Ps. The two on 'A' deck have larger balconies:D

[Florry]

Selbourne is quite right about individual preferences. I find Butlers can be quite intrusive, not always respecting personal space as stewards do. They aren't all the same some are more professional than others, who become a stress point.

 

 

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Edited October 31, 2016 by Florry

[fastnloose]

Thank you all for your helpful replies, think we might give it a go in a suite. Our daughter will take a superior deluxe and join us for canapes etc.

[annieuk]

I think your daughter will also get canapes on a formal evening in a superior deluxe cabin!

[Selbourne]

Thank you both for your very helpful replies, I am sorely tempted! Could I ask you another question? If my daughter and son-in-law have another grade of cabin (not suite) can they also join us in the epicurean restaurant if they pay a cover charge?

 

As others have said, you are only supposed to dine in the Epicurean if you are actually sleeping in a suite. However, we book an adjacent balcony cabin for our daughters (young adults) and dine with them in the Epicurean for dinner early each cruise. As a result, each morning at breakfast thereafter, the Epicurean staff always ask where our 'beautiful daughters are'! I've told our daughters that they wouldn't get questioned if they joined us (I'm pretty certain we have only been asked our cabin number on the first morning of each cruise and never afterwards), but they aren't prepared to get up that early (as with the main dining rooms, breakfast ends quite early considering you are on holiday).

 

The one exception is always disembarkation day when they do join us for breakfast. It's never queried. Possibly because our departure that morning usually coincides with me handing out quite large tips to all of the waiting staff who have made every day special for us!

 

I really cannot overstate how lovely it is to start each day in such a civilised manner. The tranquility is sometimes shattered by young children (sharing suites with parents) who are occasionally allowed to behave in a way that we never let ours behave in restaurants when they were that age and I do think it's poor form that one or two chaps think it's acceptable to go into an upmarket restaurant in football shirts (even for breakfast), but I guess I'm showing my age now! These issues are obviously attributable to poor customer behaviour and not the fault of the staff, all of whom are hand picked as being the best on the ship (as its the best restaurant) and they are, without exception, faultless.

[Mama.nurse]

Hi,

We have a couple of cruises booked this year deluxe balcony, but next year we have a suite, soooo excited. 

Our children at the time will be 4 and 3years old.

Does anyone know if the butler is able to get kids club spaces without me booking it the day before? Basically can I tell the butler which time slots and days I want the children to go to the club and it be accomodated?

Thanks. 

[Windsurfboy]

Can't  talk about kids club. But if you take analogy with speciality restaurants.  They can book for you, but if they are fully booked butler has no special privilege to conjure up a space

[david63]

Again another who knows nothing about the kids clubs but I was under the impression that there can only be the number of children in any age group on board that the kids club can accommodate.

[jeanlyon]

On 10/30/2016 at 9:30 PM, Mysticalmother said:

Butler....me, I just dream......:):):)

I wouldn't know what to do with one.  don't need all that hassle!