Butlers

[Off Shore]

What does the butler do for you on the cruise

Is it worth the extra money?

 

Many thanks!

Danny Weitz

[Gail C]

It just so happens that the suite we want comes with a butler. If I could get the suite without him, I might. We eat breadfast in each day and he brings it at the appointed time, comes in sets it up lets us know when it's ready and leaves. We get up to a lovely table and hot coffee...nice.

 

He seemed to anticipate our needs. I wanted diet tonic and even when I thought they were out he magically appeared with some, apologizing for the quart size bottles. We were on board for 20 days, so when the bottle was almost empty, we had new ones without asking, liquor, mixes, sodas.

 

Apps at 5PM each day. We could request anything. But, maybe you could do that through room service.

 

He would host cocktail parties with whatever and how many you wanted. I was not interested in that, but it was available.

 

Bottom line, it's the suite, not the butler to us.

[Travelcat2]

It seems to be the general concensus on the boards that, at least on Regent cruises, paying extra for the butler is not worth it. Most of what they do can be done by the stewardess with the exception of special appetizers delivered to your cabin about 5 p.m. (unfortunately, we were rarely hungry -- still, it is a nice touch).

 

The Penthouse suites on the Navigator are the same size as regular suites -- the Penthouse suites on the Voyager are approx. 15 sq. feet larger but have a better layout. The Mariner does have significantly larger Penthouse suites (but, their "regular" suites are smaller than their other ships).

 

We had a butler on our Voyager cruise in 2006 -- this year we decided not to. Although we were on a regular cabin on the Navigator, we were pleasantly surprised when our favorite snacks and alochol appeared in our suite. The service was so good, we did not miss having a butler. Regent does a great job of keeping track of the likes and dislikes of their customers.

 

In 2008 we return to the Voyager in a Penthouse suite -- this time, however, it's because of airfare benefits rather than the butler (love the butler but not enough to pay the difference in cost):)

[chefpa]

As with anything, I think that your personal preferances dictate whether it is worth it to you.

We jsut returned from our first Regent experience (although we have sailed many others and have travelled extensively). Gupta, our butler on the Navigator (Athens-MC) was fantastic and well worth it. It was our 25 anniversary and he and the stewardess decorated the room, he came and found us so that he knew when we were returning to the room that night so that mood music was playing...champagne out, flowers, cake...

 

On other lines the Captain would have sent a note or something. Here, not a peep which was disappointing in my view...not necessarily the end of the world but not what i would have expected.

 

But the point is that Gupta went out of his way to make each day special, that each of our needs, be it the Pellegrino my wife loves, or the reservations to be made or the room service setup..everything was perfect and precise and immediate.

 

So, is this available without the butler...don't know? Would I try? Absolutely not. But as I said, each person has their set of priorities and decisions regarding costs/benefits. I cannot say anything in terms of the size discussion. I agree that the suite is a first consideration for us and therefor we chose the Navigator Suite which is larger than the ones discussed above. With the separation of the balconies due to the dinig/living area windows, they are more private than those that are all connected. In any event, as I said, it is a personal decision. We would not choose differently.

 

Peter

[Oliver's Mom]

We have cruised twice on the Navigator, both times with a butler. In my opinion, the only problem with having a butler is that you can't bring him home when the cruise is over.