What Will Celebrity Butlers Do for Suite Guests?

[PittsburghNative]

My mom and I will be traveling in our first suite on the Eclipse for the 5/9 Alaska sailing. One of the perks is having butler service. I’ve heard that some people don’t even utilize their butler because they don’t know exactly what he/she can do for them. I’d love to get ideas of what past suite guests have asked their butlers to do for them to make their vacation even more fantastic. Thanks in advance for any insight!

[jelayne]

Make restaurant reservations

They will deliver any room service orders

On Evening Chic nights they will escort you to reserved seats in the theater

Pick up and delivery any laundry

Have shoes shined

 

When we are in a suite with a separate bedroom we have them bring juice & coffee to our room and leave it on the table so when we wake up it is there as we are getting ready to go for breakfast.  

[chemmo]

We enjoy a light afternoon tea but don’t want to go to Michael’s, we much prefer to come around from an afternoon siesta on our balcony. We ask our butler to set up a tea tray for us (kettle, tea etc) and then deliver a selection of tiny sandwiches at 4.15 daily. It is usually only on cruises from Southampton kettles are provided in rooms but we have requested and received one on all our cruises.

 

We also some days ask him to leave us a shrimp platter or a cheese and cracker selection to enjoy late evening on the balcony.

 

We have arranged sail away parties in our suite. Our butler has brought a couple of trays of snacks for us and put the bubbly we brought on board with us on ice. He reorganised some of the suite furnishings and insisted on tidying up after, shooing me on the balcony to finish my champagne.

 

If you have any disasters (lost button, hem coming down, coat wet from a shore excursion, suitcase faulty....) speak to your butler...he will find a solution.

 

As you say in your post many guests don’t particularly want butler service. Butlers do respect this. If you don’t ask him to do anything for you he won’t. There have been posts where guests have not asked for anything but then felt disgruntled towards the end of the cruise when they find fellow guests have been enjoying deliveries of snacks etc. Make sure you let your butler know what you want. He will give you a phone number, if you ring it and he is off duty another butler will help you. If you want anything special organised (like a sail away party) your butler will appreciate a couple of days warning. 

 

In addition to your butler you will also have the services of the Michael’s Concierge. You can ask them for help for anything you would normally use guest services for (overcharge, OBC not posted, problem with a shore excursion). If you would enjoy a behind the scenes galley tour or a bridge tour speak to the concierge soon after boarding. Make sure you look at invitations in your room and listen to messages on your phone, they are often about events in Michael’s Club or suite events like helipad sail away.

 

Have a fantastic cruise!

 

 

[emmas gran]

The perks depend on the level of suites— we have never had free laundry in a sky suite just the wash and fold. However we have had it in Celebrity Suite and Royal suites.

It may depend on the butler— we only saw ours  twice in 10 days Sky Suite on Equinox last November but our travel companions saw theirs daily.

 

 

[chemmo]

2 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

The perks depend on the level of suites— we have never had free laundry in a sky suite just the wash and fold. However we have had it in Celebrity Suite and Royal suites.

It may depend on the butler— we only saw ours  twice in 10 days Sky Suite on Equinox last November but our travel companions saw theirs daily.

 

 

 

Good point...

 

Some services are suite specific like free laundry and minibar set up in higher suites. Some guests have also reported better butler service in higher suites whilst others have said no matter what suite they have been in butler service has remained the same. 

 

OP if you do have a ‘missing butler’ telephone him first but if he doesn’t respond to your requests raise it with the Concierge or Suite Manager. 

 

Butlers tend to come in in three categories....

 

’Good’...Do everything you request efficiently.

 

’Very Good’ Do everything you request and take the effort to touch base with you and ask if there is anything else you need or want.

 

’Exceptional’ Do everything you request and then almost predict other things you didn’t even think of...A few examples include turning up with snacks when our butler saw us returning to our suite with friends, bringing popcorn one night when we said we were tired and going to watch a movie on TV, leaving us chocolate Strawberries....

 

We were lucky enough to have one of these amazing butlers on Eclipse (Caesar) look out for him!

 

[Cruise a holic]

We had the same butler twice on two different Celebrity ships.  As luck would have it, he was the worst butler of the group, so I want to add another category to the three above

"unsatisfactory"  .  We never saw him- and he was lazy- told us to call room service if we needed something! 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

On one cruise a decorative rosette came off my sandal.  The butler glued it on for me.  Another time I went to the suite on my own and wanted a pottle of Pellegrino but could not get the top off.  The butler came to introduce himself and opened the bottle for me.  After that, every time he was in the suite he would open another bottle and leave it on the bar for me, even though he knew my DH was traveling with me. These are just 2 little things that a great butler did.

 

I often request an afternoon cappuccino and if I don't I've had the butler come by with one anyway.

[chemmo]

57 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

We had the same butler twice on two different Celebrity ships.  As luck would have it, he was the worst butler of the group, so I want to add another category to the three above

"unsatisfactory"  .  We never saw him- and he was lazy- told us to call room service if we needed something! 

 

Did you discuss your concerns with the Michael’s concierge or anyone else?

 

If we ever have an issue on a cruise or in a hotel we prefer to report early in our stay and give the cruise line or hotel the opportunity to ‘put things right’.

 

I am sure there are ‘unsatisfactory butlers’ either through poor training or personality but I wouldn’t put up with one without airing my grievance to someone in a situation where they could make a difference....

 

We don’t expect all butlers to be ‘exceptional’ and are very happy when we get one but we do expect all butlers to meet the criteria of ‘good’, as in to do everything requested efficiently.

[Cruise a holic]

Actually he was an older man and had excuses for everything.  We figured he would retire soon and felt sorry for him.  The second cruise he was our butler only for two days, as the new butler said Mr A was ill.  So why bother complaining. We lived without a butler as the replacement butler had too many suites under his umbrella.

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

We had the same butler twice on two different Celebrity ships.  As luck would have it, he was the worst butler of the group, so I want to add another category to the three above

"unsatisfactory"  .  We never saw him- and he was lazy- told us to call room service if we needed something! 

Butler service is usually exceptional in our experience.  Your experience with that butler is not really the norm on Celebrity ships.  Unfortunate.

[Cruise a holic]

52 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Butler service is usually exceptional in our experience.  Your experience with that butler is not really the norm on Celebrity ships.  Unfortunate.

Agree!  We have had exceptional butlers and have taken at least 2 dzn cruises in suites.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The problem with not reporting these issues is that then these employees go on to annoy other cruisers.  Celebrity can't fix the problem if they don't know about it.  An example:  in the penthouse once, we had an incredibly surly and inept assistant cabin attendant.  Would never do what we asked about quantity of towels, or anything else.  When he came in and insisted on mopping the floor while I was in the suite, I drew the line and called it to the attention of Bogdan, the Suite Concierge at the time.  I kept wondering how this person ever got assigned to service the penthouse.  Well, I guess nobody ever complained about him.  By the end of our cruise, he was no longer assigned to the penthouse.

[39august]

Is it possible to get help with moving from a balcony cabin to a Sky Suite from the butler in that new suite cabin? I know cabin stewards will bring luggage and hanging clothes to the new cabin, but any extra help would be welcome. 

[jelayne]

38 minutes ago, 39august said:

Is it possible to get help with moving from a balcony cabin to a Sky Suite from the butler in that new suite cabin? I know cabin stewards will bring luggage and hanging clothes to the new cabin, but any extra help would be welcome. 

 

We have both from a balcony to a SS and from a Suite to a balcony.  The cabin attendant and Butler coordinated the move between them.  We put all our non hanging items in our luggage and it was moved with our hanging clothes while we were off the ship.  Not sure what extra help you require but I'm sure both the cabin attendant and butler will do what they an to assist you.

[jody75]

Our butler on MSC chaperoned us when ever we need to disembark at ports, in effect queue jumping without any hassle. That was the main benefit we appreciated other than reserving seats in the theatre.  Celebrity butler service is not a patch on MSC yacht club whilst they are significantly cheaper than Celebrity suites.  Unfortunately the cat is out of the bag as most YC cabins are fully booked up to 2021.

[CaveCreekTraveler]

What is the usual tip to give your butler? First time in a suite.

[George C]

Anything you need , we had issues getting internet working she took her time walking my wife thru steps needed . 

[john_galt]

Our last two cruises were in the port side PH on the Constellation. We ate every meal, except the final breakfast, in the room. Our butlers were superb. Above and beyond all expectation. We probably took up an inordinate amount of their time. I tipped appropriately. 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

6 hours ago, jody75 said:

Our butler on MSC chaperoned us when ever we need to disembark at ports, in effect queue jumping without any hassle. That was the main benefit we appreciated other than reserving seats in the theatre.  Celebrity butler service is not a patch on MSC yacht club whilst they are significantly cheaper than Celebrity suites.  Unfortunately the cat is out of the bag as most YC cabins are fully booked up to 2021.

 

But what you don't understand is that there is not a queue when disembarking from Celebrity.  I disagree that the butler service in MSC Yacht Club is better than Celebrity.  I hardly ever saw my butler on MSC.  Have always had excellent service from my Celebrity butlers.  Many things are better in Yacht Club, but I don't think butler service is one of them.  And prices are climbing rapidly.

[Moobaby214]

On our last cruise on Celebrity four years ago, we had a Sky suite and had a terrible enough experience with the butler that we quit cruising Celebrity.  Our butler and lead steward physically threatened me in my room after I had asked at guest services about something I had paid for and it had not been delivered.  My neighbor on the ship also had a very similar experience with the two of them.  This was not something I have forgotten and I truly hope no one else ever has to experience something like it onboard.

 

I complained about both of them to the suite manager and at guest services.  I also complained in the survey after leaving the ship.  In my complaints onboard I requested a new butler and steward or at the very least those two not be in my room if I was present.  My neighbor had the same request.  From that point on everything was handled by the second steward and I never saw the other two again except in passing in the halls.

 

We now have a cruise coming up in a couple weeks and it will be our first time back on Celebrity.  We shall see how it goes. 😃