Never had a Butler...tips, advice?

[samplecd02]

I have never had a butler on sea or off. I want to be sure that I use his/her services but I don't want to be that annoying person that asks for everything. Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated!

[LGW59]

19 minutes ago, samplecd02 said:

I have never had a butler on sea or off. I want to be sure that I use his/her services but I don't want to be that annoying person that asks for everything. Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated!

I really enjoy the services that the butler provides, they work incredibly hard to make sure whatever you want is just right.  I have breakfast in my suite almost every day of the cruise, I generally provide him with a list, which really only variates a little each day, I'm a creature of habit.  I also have lunch a couple of days when at sea and dinner too, always takes care of that.  They advertise that as being served course by course...that's not my thing, so I just say bring it all at once and plop it right on the table. They can also provide afternoon/evening snacks, help with restaurant reservations (even when there seem to be none available), get laundry done and returned.  They can also provide escort to the theatre or tender spots for suite guests.  When I ate dinner at EDEN, he made the reservation for me, called them to say he will be escorting me down and that my table should be ready when we arrived.  FYI - I did not ask for the escort, he insisted!  Now the controversial part, I always provide a nice tip on day 2, then on the last night I always give another generous tip.  Never been disappointed in the services of any butler on a ship.  

[danceswithphones]

We like to eat in the room. Usually breakfast and the evening meal. That's why we book a suite with a dining table. I always leave a generous tip for both the butler and the room steward. I know there's a gratuity built into the fare but I like to tip in cash. 

[jelayne]

We don’t eat meals in our suite unless we are in a suite that has a dining table either inside or on the balcony.  For us  eating at vanity, on the bed or sitting stooped over a low table isn’t comfortable.  
 

We don’t use the escort to seats in theater, or some of the other services.

We do have juice delivered daily for DH,  and ask for a afternoon snack after returning from port.  The Butler is also the person who picks up and delivers any laundry. 
Where we do use the Butler it is for little emergencies, spilled red wine on a blouse, heel came off a shoe, button came off, forgot cufflinks and similar.  I have asked them to decorate our suite for DHs birthday , which they did a fantastic job.

 

[CruiseCrew123]

Staying in a suite for the first time next January on Beyond . Think my ‘butler’ will have an easy time as I’m quite capable of doing all those things myself . It’s part of the fun of planning 😆

Edited April 5, 2022 by CruiseCrew123

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

Staying in a suite for the first time next January on Beyond . Think my ‘butler’ will have an easy time as I’m quite capable of doing all those things myself . It’s part of the fun of planning 😆

Be prepared for a disappointed butler, they really enjoy pampering their guests and work hard to do so.  

[39august]

Yes, please give your butler something  to do for you. They are very disappointed if you do not. At least ask for a snack or two. 

[George C]

We never eat in suite even when we had a large dining table like royal or penthouse, we eat most meals in Luminae. Occasionally ask butler to do something like pick up laundry or have some snacks if we want to invite some people over, like showing off larger suites to those interested from roll call. 

[MarKay525]

We just returned from our first Sky Suite sailing, so had a Personal Retreat Host for the first time. I used him for situations that would normally require me to stand in line at Excursions/Guest Services: verify time of excursion that had been changed from original reservation, get paper copy of final Ship Account charges on last night. He greeted us at the entrance to the theatre on Chic Night and escorted us to the reserved seating area. We told him our food preferences and he brought us nibbles in the afternoon.  We were supposed to have a "birthday celebration" on the 2nd Chic Night in Blu, and somehow the ball got dropped. (In fact, the dinner seemed really rushed.) Next day, he brought us a floral arrangement, DH's favorite wine, the slice of cake and rose petals for the table with profound apologies. He handled our laundry and delivered our Room Service breakfast, which was elegantly plated. Every time we called the Personal Host number, the response was immediate.

 

We also utilized the Retreat Concierges to rearrange times for pre-booked appointments that conflicted after tour times changed, set up personal appointments in the Retreat with Future Cruise reps (same person each time for ease and consistency), and questions about TA OBC.

 

I like to pre-plan extensively and we are low-maintenance people, but it was really nice to just pick up the phone and, poof, it was taken care of. And as others have said, they truly want to assist you.

Edited April 5, 2022 by MarKay525

[Purplsmurf]

1 hour ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

Staying in a suite for the first time next January on Beyond . Think my ‘butler’ will have an easy time as I’m quite capable of doing all those things myself . It’s part of the fun of planning 😆

We are the same. We have our first suite booked for our 30th anniversary and my husband said that he isn’t sure that he wants it because we know that we would never use the butler.

[Bo1953]

10 minutes ago, Purplsmurf said:

We are the same. We have our first suite booked for our 30th anniversary and my husband said that he isn’t sure that he wants it because we know that we would never use the butler.

Just let him wait and see, after his first few requests are fulfilled to his desire... LOL

 

Suites all the way to the moon!!!

 

bon voyage

[mfs2k]

 

Here are the questions we all want the answer to..

 

How much is a crappy butler tip for a 7 night Sky Suite cruise if you don't ask for above average services?

 

How much is a good butler tip for a 7 night Sky Suite cruise if you don't ask for above average services?

 

How much is a very generous butler tip for a 7 night Sky Suite cruise if you don't ask for above average services?

 

How much is an over-tip for a 7 night Sky Suite cruise if you don't ask for above average services?

[LGW59]

13 minutes ago, Purplsmurf said:

We are the same. We have our first suite booked for our 30th anniversary and my husband said that he isn’t sure that he wants it because we know that we would never use the butler.

I have heard this and I have heard some say they feel it is "elitist", nothing could be further from the truth.  These hard working ladies and gentlemen train hard for this role, lots of articles available on-line about at sea butlers, very informative.  Meet him/her chat with them a bit about what you can expect, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. 

[CruiseCrew123]

I wish you could book a suite without a ‘butler’ . I really don’t know what to do with them 🤷‍♀️ . I’m just looking forward to a nicer room , Luminaire and the Retreat Deck 

[mfs2k]

4 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

I wish you could book a suite without a ‘butler’ . I really don’t know what to do with them 🤷‍♀️ . I’m just looking forward to a nicer room , Luminaire and the Retreat Deck 

 

You seriously don't have to use the services of a butler. But you can if you want to. He/she's not going to be waiting for you outside your door, but if he/she sees you in the hallway, it's likely he/she will ask if there is anything you need.  If the answer is "no, thank you," that's fine. 

(I'm pronoun challenged on this post)

Edited April 5, 2022 by mfs2k

[mfs2k]

26 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

 

Here are the questions we all want the answer to..

 

How much is a crappy butler tip for a 7 night Sky Suite cruise if you don't ask for above average services?  $20

How much is a good butler tip for a 7 night Sky Suite cruise if you don't ask for above average services?  $100

How much is a very generous butler tip for a 7 night Sky Suite cruise if you don't ask for above average services?  $150

How much is an over-tip for a 7 night Sky Suite cruise if you don't ask for above average services?

  $250

 

This is what I think....  What do you think? 

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

 

This is what I think....  What do you think? 

I think it is simply a personal decision

[talljules1]

We were lucky and had a Royal Suite for the first time last year on our cruise on Silhouette. Our butler/Personal Retreat Host, Joey, was just wonderful.  We tried to be low maintenance, but he really looked after us well.

 

We asked for, and received (in no particular order):

 

1. Laundry - most days during the cruise - we took hardly any clothes in need of washing home!

2. Breakfast in suite each morning. This was wonderful! (I particularly liked the steak and eggs)

3. Reservations in specialty restaurants (we brought a printed out list with us of what we wanted for lunches and dinners and it all just happened as if by magic)

4. Snacks in room - we asked for gluten free (for me) and a cheese plate (which turned out to be HUGE!) in the evenings.

 

We brought with us a printed out list of the things we had asked for from the shoreside concierge - and it all just happened effortlessly. 

 

We didn't have any parties in our suite - and it didn't occur to us to ask. When in such a suite again (we have a royal booked for our infinity 2023-4 cruise) we might ask.

 

We wondered about asking for unpacking on embarkation day - but there was such a negative push back on these boards that we didn't feel we could. (And it took us no time to unpack ourselves). We didn't ask for things like shoeshining etc - but you can.

 

If memory serves, we tipped $200. We didn't feel we had asked for much really, and the service was wonderful. Would have tipped more if we had asked for an in room party.

 

[jelayne]

37 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

 

You seriously don't have to use the services of a butler. But you can if you want to. He/she's not going to be waiting for you outside your door, but if he/she sees you in the hallway, it's likely he/she will ask if there is anything you need.  If the answer is "no, thank you," that's fine. 

(I'm pronoun challenged on this post)

The Hosts are willing to do what they can to make your cruise special but don't feel obligated to use them.  The hosts take care of about 12 suites so they have plenty to do.  

[mfs2k]

36 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I think it is simply a personal decision

no one knows what to tip.  It helps to learn what others tip to make an informed decision.  

[grouchomarx]

We only utilized the butler for a few things.  He escorted me to the naughty room to get my luggage and brought it back to the cabin. He made dinner reservations one night in the steak house.  He brought us a second bottle of champagne.  I think that was it.  I did not tip him at the end because of the way it is described on Celebrity's website for Retreat guests ("wondering who to tip, don't worry it's already included" type of wording.)  Normally I don't really tip extra on cruises (but at an AI resort on land I tip a lot).  I feel it's built into the cruise fare.  I think it's fine either way.

[samplecd02]

Can you add tips to your Onboard account? I am trying not to take a whole lot of cash with me.

 

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, samplecd02 said:

Can you add tips to your Onboard account? I am trying not to take a whole lot of cash with me.

 

yes

[LGW59]

28 minutes ago, grouchomarx said:

We only utilized the butler for a few things.  He escorted me to the naughty room to get my luggage and brought it back to the cabin. He made dinner reservations one night in the steak house.  He brought us a second bottle of champagne.  I think that was it.  I did not tip him at the end because of the way it is described on Celebrity's website for Retreat guests ("wondering who to tip, don't worry it's already included" type of wording.)  Normally I don't really tip extra on cruises (but at an AI resort on land I tip a lot).  I feel it's built into the cruise fare.  I think it's fine either way.

ahhh OK...

[peanut head]

We were in a RS on the Equinox pre-pandemic and our butler/RH was Bart (has anyone seen or heard of him since?) who was excellent.  We, too, are pretty much low maintenance and prefer to do for ourselves.  Bart felt bad that we got our own morning coffee but we are such early risers that we didn't have the heart to disturb him.  He did make sure that our dinner reservations were confirmed and did take care of our laundry.  We did make some new friends and Bart had a special hors d'oeuerves set up for us in the suite which was very nice.  On the whole, if needed he was there and when we wanted privacy he understood.