Never had a Butler...tips, advice?

[jbcallender]

On 10/17/2022 at 10:16 AM, go.without.you said:

I take a box of candy bars (the ones the high school band sells for $1) and I pass out notes with envelopes. Just nice things like "I appreciate you" or "thank you" and I include cash ($5 to $20 in each). I pass these out the 1st night and again the last night in the dining room. 

 

When I'm on the Retreat deck and they are wearing masks and hats and sunglasses I cannot tell if they served me before (and were tipped extra) or not. So I ask, "Did you get one of these yet?" and show the candy. My way of cheating since I couldn't see their faces.

 

My last cruise I slipped a note to our wonderful head waitress for a special request dedicated to my dad and the staff all came over to serve it. It was the anniversary of his death 2 years before and he loved escargot and bourbon Manhattans. The escargot was wonderful, the drink tasted like hairspray.

We often take some t-shirts from sports teams to hand out with some envelopes at the end of the cruise.  I am in the hospitality business and I think it appropriate to recognize and reward good service and attentiveness.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

5 hours ago, jbcallender said:

I am in the hospitality business and I think it appropriate to recognize and reward good service and attentiveness.

 

Then hopefully you also know that the BEST way to show extra appreciation (besides cash tips) is to mention them by name to the line and their superiors. THAT will go much further in getting them promotions and such that will ultimately help them more than a random t-shirt.

[Catnip]

On 4/5/2022 at 12:04 PM, 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 😆

Ditto for me.  I'm thinking on my spring cruise, my Butler will have it really easy.  I can't imagine what I would even need him for.

 

 

[39august]

Our butlers have  been able to give us one or two bottles of Decoy Cab. or other such higher end wines at no charge. Just let them know what you would like to receive and that you know there is no guarantee. I ask for either a shrimp cocktail or fruit and cheese plate very evening for late night snack. 

[jbcallender]

4 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Then hopefully you also know that the BEST way to show extra appreciation (besides cash tips) is to mention them by name to the line and their superiors. THAT will go much further in getting them promotions and such that will ultimately help them more than a random t-shirt.

In the hospitality business we live and die by the surveys and constantly and directly reward associates for name mentions.  Been doing that a long time on both sides of that equation.

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

On our last Celebrity cruise, we had MovedUp to a suite, and barely used the butler services because the whole experience was kind of overwhelming. We're less than three weeks away from our 10-night upcoming cruise in a Sky Suite on Edge, and I'm curious about having our butler bring breakfast, something I've seen mentioned a couple times here.

Is that something which would need to be prearranged the night before, or could it be a "I slept in a bit and don't feel like getting dressed to go get coffee and a bagel" sort of thing? 

 

[chemmo]

8 minutes ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

On our last Celebrity cruise, we had MovedUp to a suite, and barely used the butler services because the whole experience was kind of overwhelming. We're less than three weeks away from our 10-night upcoming cruise in a Sky Suite on Edge, and I'm curious about having our butler bring breakfast, something I've seen mentioned a couple times here.

Is that something which would need to be prearranged the night before, or could it be a "I slept in a bit and don't feel like getting dressed to go get coffee and a bagel" sort of thing? 

 

If you pre arrange the night before it will come pretty much on time requested as does all room service. If you place on order via the TV or by phoning your butler just be tolerant there will be some delay (especially on port days where room service tends to be well used). Remember there is the Elite breakfast (if you are E or above) that runs until 10am and that the Retreat lounge has breakfast snacks too…

[CruisinShips]

Call me a bleeding heart, but most of these ship workers seem like such lovely people with big hearts, who work in difficult conditions for supposedly not such great wages...many of them speak of sending their money home to help support their loved ones...I can't imagine not supplementing their incomes with some additional tips.  No, it's not required, and I don't expect everyone to feel the way I do, but if I can afford a suite, I can afford to tip those who positively enhance my vacation experience.

[morpheusofthesea]

On 10/21/2022 at 8:38 AM, Catnip said:

Ditto for me.  I'm thinking on my spring cruise, my Butler will have it really easy.  I can't imagine what I would even need him for.

 

 

Let us say it is embarkation day and one has paid for a suite with all the perks, gratuities, premium beverage package. wifi, and couple hundred $ in OBC. You get on board go to any venue for a bottle of water, give your key card and are charged for your bottle of water plus gratuity plus 7% Fla sales tax since the ship is still docked. One then heads to the Retreat concierges (3) were there is a long line of problems like logging into wifi of the other guests. One waits the request time and all the concierge can do is add all the perks onto a new key card for additional costs. Ones companion (in my case my DW) sat in the Retreat lounge with the concierge listening to my pleas of having paid for these perks thinking I booked a cheaper fare and called me a cheapskate. (Could have been worse if one was with a new girl friend). Went back to cabin and told butler my plight. She suggested that I allow her to escort me down to Guest Relations, around the long lines, and directly to her purser friend. Purser called shore side offices, confirmed my having paid for everything before getting on the ship, reversed all the charges placed by the concierge and the bottle of water and gave us new 'PALL' key cards in a matter of moments.

   Next one may want the furniture removed from the balcony and replaced with a deck lounge chair instead. Brought this to butlers attention and she had a 'cushioned' lounge deck chair brought down from the Retreat sun deck.

   No passenger, with any sense of decorum, is going to butt in front of any line to get off the ship. Butlers have the power to get one off the ship for any reason. We were on a ship with 4000 passengers and just one gang way which was a couple of decks (it appeared to be) above the pier. Butler got us off immediately going to the front of the line with us in tow. Forgot something while on the pier and turned around to go back on the ship, but had to wait for the other 3998 passengers to get off first. Butler saw us on the pier waiting to reboard. got on 2 way radio and had the flow of passengers stopped so we could reboard immediately.

  P.S. On Equinox had a suite. Prior posters complained about the wifi reception in this cabin, one had to go across the hall to the library to get on line. Saw a prior butler in the hallway and mentioned to her of my problem. She told me she would tell my present butler and he will 'fix' the problem. Sure enough he came to our cabin and asked how the wifi was now, that he 'boosted' the signal to our cabin. (Begs the question if the deboost the signal for the next occupant?)

Edited October 28, 2022 by morpheusofthesea
P.S.

[morpheusofthesea]

14 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Let us say it is embarkation day and one has paid for a suite with all the perks, gratuities, premium beverage package. wifi, and couple hundred $ in OBC. You get on board go to any venue for a bottle of water, give your key card and are charged for your bottle of water plus gratuity plus 7% Fla sales tax since the ship is still docked. One then heads to the Retreat concierges (3) were there and there is a long line of problems like logging into wifi of the other guests. One waits the requisite time and all the concierge can do is add all the perks onto a new key card for additional costs. Ones companion (in my case my DW) sat in the Retreat lounge with the concierge listening to my pleas of having paid for these perks thinking I booked a cheaper fare and called me a cheapskate. (Could have been worse if one was with a new girl friend). Went back to cabin and told butler my plight. She suggested that I allow her to escort me down to Guest Relations, around the long lines, and directly to her purser friend. Purser called shore side offices, confirmed my having paid for everything before getting on the ship, reversed all the charges placed by the concierge and the bottle of water and gave us new 'PALL' key cards in a matter of moments.

   Next one may want the furniture removed from the balcony and replaced with a deck lounge chair instead. Brought this to butlers attention and she had a 'cushioned' lounge deck chair brought down from the Retreat sun deck.

   No passenger, with any sense of decorum, is going to butt in front of any line to get off the ship. Butlers have the power to get one off the ship for any reason. We were on a ship with 4000 passengers and just one gangway which was a couple of decks (it appeared to be) above the pier. Butler got us off immediately going to the front of the line with us in tow. Forgot something while on the pier and turned around to go back on the ship, but had to wait for the other 3998 passengers to get off first. Butler saw us on the pier waiting to reboard. got on 2 way radio and had the flow of passengers stopped so we could reboard immediately.

  P.S. On Equinox had a suite. Prior posters complained about the wifi reception in this cabin, one had to go across the hall to the library to get on line. Saw a prior butler in the hallway and mentioned to her of my problem. She told me she would tell my present butler and he will 'fix' the problem. Sure enough he came to our cabin and asked how the wifi was now, that he 'boosted' the signal to our cabin. (Begs the question if they deboost the signal for the next occupant?)

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[DaKahuna]

On 10/21/2022 at 9:48 AM, 39august said:

Our butlers have  been able to give us one or two bottles of Decoy Cab. or other such higher end wines at no charge. Just let them know what you would like to receive and that you know there is no guarantee. I ask for either a shrimp cocktail or fruit and cheese plate very evening for late night snack. 

 

 We are not big sweet eaters, other than the deserts we choose with lunch and or dinner.    On our last two cruises, we asked our "personal retreat host' (formerly called butlers) if we could get a shrimp plate or cheese and crackers plate instead.  Starting the very next day we were getting shrimp cocktail, cheese, dates, nuts, dried cranberries, crackers, etc.  daily.  On the first, a B2B, two days into our B2B we asked him to change from daily to every other day.  On the second cruise, we told our retreat host what we wanted and that we wanted it ever other day from the beginning.  It's true that there can be too much of a good thing. 

We have pretty much stopped doing shore excursions and most of the time we will wait until the initial debarkation for a port call ends and simply walk ashore and do things on our own.  We are usually back onboard around lunch time, or reasonably close, and instead of going to the buffet we'll ask our retreat host for sandwich, fries (or potato chips), and tea/lemonade ) to enjoy on the balcony.