Who might be our butler

[fastnloose]

Hi, just wondering if we can find out who our butler might be.  We are in B437 in late July on Britannia. We didnt get a very good one last time, so hope we will be lucky this time.  Thanks everyone for your help

Edited June 26, 2019 by fastnloose
more detail added

[bazlin]

we have never had the same butler always cruise on britannia and always have a suite

[hansol1966]

Our butler was fantastic...Booked us great seats at the limelight club that were sold out online...Brought any meal off the Lunch and Dinner menu we wanted..Any room service was marked as suite no charge...Excellent service all round he looked after our disabled son over and beyond... Can’t wait for next year for third person for a pound.

[hansol1966]

Please elaborate more on your suite problems

[Harry Peterson]

I'm not sure there's any reliable way of knowing in advance which butler will be looking after you, unless someone in the same area of Britannia between now and when you leave can give you a clue.

 

They do vary considerably, I've found, but they're always keen to help if they can. I find the advance menus useful, but we usually ask them to skip the canapés - it's embarrassing and wasteful to leave them every night.  They're pretty dull, and there's far too much food anyway!

[brian1]

Paul Burrell might be looking for a job.

[fastnloose]

10 hours ago, hansol1966 said:

Our butler was fantastic...Booked us great seats at the limelight club that were sold out online...Brought any meal off the Lunch and Dinner menu we wanted..Any room service was marked as suite no charge...Excellent service all round he looked after our disabled son over and beyond... Can’t wait for next year for third person for a pound.

Thanks for your help.  Do you think that offer will come back?

[fastnloose]

10 hours ago, hansol1966 said:

Please elaborate more on your suite problems

Everything was too much trouble!  Cant help with unpacking, too many people already requested help by the time he introduced himself to us.  Asked him to empty the fridge,  and it took 3 days of continual asking.  Asked if he would arrange for my hot water bottle to be put in on turndown, he just advised that there was a "kettle over there", requested  toiletries replenished, never were,  whenever he entered the room it was rush, rush, huff and puff and it made us feel if we were encroaching on his valuable time!  Would hope this was a one off and our next butler will be a help. 

[fastnloose]

32 minutes ago, brian1 said:

Paul Burrell might be looking for a job.

He will do nicely!!

[fastnloose]

2 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

I'm not sure there's any reliable way of knowing in advance which butler will be looking after you, unless someone in the same area of Britannia between now and when you leave can give you a clue.

 

They do vary considerably, I've found, but they're always keen to help if they can. I find the advance menus useful, but we usually ask them to skip the canapés - it's embarrassing and wasteful to leave them every night.  They're pretty dull, and there's far too much food anyway!

Thanks, will stop those awful canapes

[brian1]

1 hour ago, fastnloose said:

Everything was too much trouble!  Cant help with unpacking, too many people already requested help by the time he introduced himself to us.  Asked him to empty the fridge,  and it took 3 days of continual asking.  Asked if he would arrange for my hot water bottle to be put in on turndown, he just advised that there was a "kettle over there", requested  toiletries replenished, never were,  whenever he entered the room it was rush, rush, huff and puff and it made us feel if we were encroaching on his valuable time!  Would hope this was a one off and our next butler will be a help. 

Makes you wonder how the hell these people get the job.It's supposed to be an elite job with only the best considered.Your bloke needed kicking off the ship at the first port.

[daiB]

1 hour ago, fastnloose said:

Everything was too much trouble!  Cant help with unpacking, too many people already requested help by the time he introduced himself to us.  Asked him to empty the fridge,  and it took 3 days of continual asking.  Asked if he would arrange for my hot water bottle to be put in on turndown, he just advised that there was a "kettle over there", requested  toiletries replenished, never were,  whenever he entered the room it was rush, rush, huff and puff and it made us feel if we were encroaching on his valuable time!  Would hope this was a one off and our next butler will be a help. 

I think you have been very unlucky as we have had 10+ butlers and have found all to be good to excellent. However we have never asked for help with unpacking, I think that was a step too far for my wife. Everything else we have asked for has been done efficiently and with a smile.

[jeanlyon]

I would hate anybody to unpack my clothes for me.  That's probably why I don't need a butler!!

[Rupert2251]

39 minutes ago, daiB said:

I think you have been very unlucky as we have had 10+ butlers and have found all to be good to excellent. However we have never asked for help with unpacking, I think that was a step too far for my wife. Everything else we have asked for has been done efficiently and with a smile.

I echo your post dai. We have never had the butler unpack or pack for us, no chance why would you? Everything else we asked for was carried out with efficiency and a genuine smile and will do attitude. I think fastnloose had a one off unfortunate experience.

[Harry Peterson]

I do wonder how many people make use of the packing and unpacking service. We’ve never ever used it either.

 

Have to say we make very little use of the butler. Love the extra space and breakfast in the Epicurean though!

[Port out]

5 hours ago, fastnloose said:

Everything was too much trouble!  Cant help with unpacking, too many people already requested help by the time he introduced himself to us.  Asked him to empty the fridge,  and it took 3 days of continual asking.  Asked if he would arrange for my hot water bottle to be put in on turndown, he just advised that there was a "kettle over there", requested  toiletries replenished, never were,  whenever he entered the room it was rush, rush, huff and puff and it made us feel if we were encroaching on his valuable time!  Would hope this was a one off and our next butler will be a help. 

Have come across this myself, not that we use the packing service. Best answer if you start to get this type of poor service is to go to the desk and ask to see the Accommodation Manager (not the Deck Supervisor), explain the problem and ask for a change of Butler. All ships except Oceana have two or more.

[fastnloose]

32 minutes ago, Port out said:

Have come across this myself, not that we use the packing service. Best answer if you start to get this type of poor service is to go to the desk and ask to see the Accommodation Manager (not the Deck Supervisor), explain the problem and ask for a change of Butler. All ships except Oceana have two or more.

I will do, thanks. But I hope this wont be necessary this time.

[Harry Peterson]

45 minutes ago, Port out said:

Best answer if you start to get this type of poor service is to go to the desk and ask to see the Accommodation Manager (not the Deck Supervisor), explain the problem and ask for a change of Butler. All ships except Oceana have two or more.

Perfectly reasonable thing to do, but I've always been a firm believer in the rule that you never complain about anyone serving you food until after you've eaten it.  I'm thinking room service food here - just not a chance I'd care to take!

[The Wolfman]

3 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

I do wonder how many people make use of the packing and unpacking service. We’ve never ever used it either.

 

Have to say we make very little use of the butler. Love the extra space and breakfast in the Epicurean though!

We use the unpacking service a great deal as neither my partner not I can bend very far - added to which I have better things to do than unpack on the first day on the ship. Problem with Britannia is too few butlers for too many suites. Do the maths and compare to Aurora. 

[fastnloose]

2 hours ago, The Wolfman said:

We use the unpacking service a great deal as neither my partner not I can bend very far - added to which I have better things to do than unpack on the first day on the ship. Problem with Britannia is too few butlers for too many suites. Do the maths and compare to Aurora. 

That is exactly the reason why my husband and I would like help with unpacking. I do say HELP WITH as we would still do the bulk of it, especially more personal items.  Will just have to hope we might have more luck this time.

[hansol1966]

Yes footloose the service you were entitled to was seriously lacking. P&O advertise these extras and you pay for them so you are entitled to what is advertised. 

The third person for a pound offer we noticed was around March 2019...we then booked 3 cruises using this promotion which if you travel as a trio is great value.

2 minor niggles is one tiny bottle of water free each in a SUITE per cruise. A bottle a day each or one 2 litre bottle of water each per cruise. Flowers in the suite to me is not a spindly pot plant, fresh flowers twice a week should be the minimum.

[fastnloose]

On 6/29/2019 at 10:19 AM, hansol1966 said:

Yes footloose the service you were entitled to was seriously lacking. P&O advertise these extras and you pay for them so you are entitled to what is advertised. 

The third person for a pound offer we noticed was around March 2019...we then booked 3 cruises using this promotion which if you travel as a trio is great value.

2 minor niggles is one tiny bottle of water free each in a SUITE per cruise. A bottle a day each or one 2 litre bottle of water each per cruise. Flowers in the suite to me is not a spindly pot plant, fresh flowers twice a week should be the minimum.

I agree with all you say Hansol1966.  As a retired florist I spent some time trying to revive  the failing Phalanopsis plant plonked on the table! Thanks for your info regarding 3rd person

[berlingo]

On 6/27/2019 at 4:25 PM, The Wolfman said:

We use the unpacking service a great deal as neither my partner not I can bend very far - added to which I have better things to do than unpack on the first day on the ship. Problem with Britannia is too few butlers for too many suites. Do the maths and compare to Aurora. 

 

I too use the unpacking and packing service.

Due to ill health I find any physical task exhausting. Asking the butler for assistance means my husband or daughters get a little respite from doing things for me whilst we are on holiday.

To save my blushes I pack using packing cubes for my unmentionable items! These can then just be popped into a drawer as they are.

By the way we were given a tip when we first sailed in suite which was not to admit to being suite newbies when asked by your butler!

Juliax

 

[pete14]

On 6/27/2019 at 3:27 PM, Harry Peterson said:

Perfectly reasonable thing to do, but I've always been a firm believer in the rule that you never complain about anyone serving you food until after you've eaten it.  I'm thinking room service food here - just not a chance I'd care to take!

So you are implying that if you complain about food service, there is a chance the butler / server will in some way tamper with it or deliberately delay in future. Has this ever happened to you on a P&O cruise? 

[Harry Peterson]

23 minutes ago, pete14 said:

So you are implying that if you complain about food service, there is a chance the butler / server will in some way tamper with it or deliberately delay in future. Has this ever happened to you on a P&O cruise? 

For goodness sake.........when did you have the sense of humour transplant. 😀