Understanding what the Butler can do

[nevadashaun]

I have one cruise with Silversea under my belt.....wonderful time and have rebook again for December. I was hoping to understand more of what the Butler can do to make the sailing better. Could some of the Silversea veteran's explain some of the functions or services Butlers should be performing or what services you can ask for......Thanks

[CASHIPman]

Well they won't go-go dance for you.:D
I've had them unpack and pack for me on trips. For the most part they seem to do that quite well as long as you give them a little bit of instruction.

[Northerncheapo]

That's a great question, Nevada. I too, only have 1 SS cruise under my belt and we were at a loss as to what to do with Arvin.

He always asked, "is there anything I can do" , "what do you need" and I realize now that by always saying, "no, we're fine, thank you" that we were in fact making HIS job more difficult because he couldn't antisipate our needs since we never asked for anything.

Right off the bat, we told him we would be low maintenance and did like our privacy, so don't worry about us. I had to laugh on the last night of cruising because he dragged out our suitcases from under the bed and wrote a note "I took the liberty of washing your luggage since they had a few scufs on it". LOL...now, THAT is service!

He did take care of our laundry, served us breakfast in our suite a few times, and helped with some internet issues. Would love to hear everyone else's answer.

[turnip eater]

That's a great question, Nevada. I too, only have 1 SS cruise under my belt and we were at a loss as to what to do with Arvin.

He always asked, "is there anything I can do" , "what do you need" and I realize now that by always saying, "no, we're fine, thank you" that we were in fact making HIS job more difficult because he couldn't antisipate our needs since we never asked for anything.

Right off the bat, we told him we would be low maintenance and did like our privacy, so don't worry about us. I had to laugh on the last night of cruising because he dragged out our suitcases from under the bed and wrote a note "I took the liberty of washing your luggage since they had a few scufs on it". LOL...now, THAT is service!

He did take care of our laundry, served us breakfast in our suite a few times, and helped with some internet issues. Would love to hear everyone else's answer.

Silversea arranges for everyone's suitcase to be brought out and cleaned...nothing to do with having a butler.....I suppose they like to have clean luggage to deal with;)

[Northerncheapo]

Oh really, Turnip? I had no idea, I just thought Arvin was looking for 'something' to do, LOL. Thanks for that!
Anita

[weretired]

glad I'm not the only 1 who wants to know how to enjoy the benefits.:)

[turnip eater]

Oh really, Turnip? I had no idea, I just thought Arvin was looking for 'something' to do, LOL. Thanks for that!
Anita

You'll just have to go on more SS cruises.....:D The butlers do vary, from ones that you never see to others that hover outside your door.:eek:

[ging466]

Silversea arranges for everyone's suitcase to be brought out and cleaned...nothing to do with having a butler.....I suppose they like to have clean luggage to deal with;)

That did not happen on my recent cruises. The only time my suitcase moved was when I pulled it out myself...my suitcase is white and definitely shows the dirt!!

Whilst I really liked all my butlers, none of them offered to pack or unpack for me. On the days of embarkation and disembarkation they seemed to be so flustered...probably packing other passengers' suitcases:) It just seem so much easier for me to do it myself.

Cheers
Jennifer

[meow!]

Years ago, they used to have a pair of cabin attendants (one senior and one junior) working as a team for 15 cabins. A year and a half ago, they changed that to one butler and one attendant, still for 15 cabins. Now the attendant does all the cleaning while the butler does everything else, from booking restaurants to ordering room service, anything reasonable and "included". The butler is basically your contact person for everything.

[Northerncheapo]

Meow, is the ratio different if you're in a more expensive suite or is it like that for all cabins? thanks.

Turnip, yes, I really do need to go on more SS cruises :)

[meow!]

It was twelve Silver suites per butler/attendant pair. We don't know about the higher ups.

[Emtbsam]

It was twelve Silver suites per butler/attendant pair. We don't know about the higher ups.

Gosh - that hardly seems fair to the poor person who has to clean the Silver suites. 12 Silver suites is comparable to 24 Veranda suites in square footage. Granted there are only 12 bathrooms, but it does seem like a lot more work.

[Herman The Cat]

I have one cruise with Silversea under my belt.....wonderful time and have rebook again for December. I was hoping to understand more of what the Butler can do to make the sailing better. Could some of the Silversea veteran's explain some of the functions or services Butlers should be performing or what services you can ask for......Thanks

I certainly underutilize our butler. I'll try to be more specific in terms of tasks.

Unpack and pack suitcases
Deliver extra towels, hangers, etc.
Polish shoes
Arrange for laundry and dry cleaning
Make dinner reservations
Be on call for any questions or items you need
Restock or refill mini-bar
Ice
Serve food (meals, snacks) or drink (champagne anyone?)
Arrange for insuite parties--invitations, organizing, serving
Draw bath
And of course...polish the silver! ;)

[KaraokeQueen]

Although this may seem trivial, one thing our butler did daily was to clean the screens of our electronics (laptops, IPads, IPhones) and also our eyewear, which added up to 10 different items. He also polished every pair of shoes we had in our closet. All this was done without requesting. I have to say the level of service we received could spoil a person.

[Foodiejudy]

That sounds fantastic! Is there a limit to the beverages you can request in your mini- bar? For instance, can I request a specific wine that is not crazy expensive? First time on SS this September and cannot wait.

[Randyk47]

Our first, and pretty much our last, conversation with our last Celebrity butler went pretty much like:

Butler: "If you need anything please don't hesitate to ask."

Us: "We'd like to arrange having coffee, juice, and croissants delivered to our cabin at 7 AM every morning."

Butler: "I don't do that."

Us: "OK. How do we do that?"

Butler: "You'll have to find the room steward and ask him."

Us: "Who is our room steward?"

Butler: "I don't know. He'll probably come by sometime and introduce himself."

Us: "We also have some dry cleaning we'd like done. How do we arrange that?"

Butler: "That's not my job. You'll have to talk to your room steward."

Us: "Can we arrange for fresh ice every afternoon?"

Butler: "That's not my job. You'll have to talk to your room steward."

That's paraphrasing but pretty much the gist of the conversation. We didn't book Silversea because of the butler, been there, done that on Celebrity and he was useless. It's somewhat encouraging to read this thread, maybe our experience will be different this time. :)

[Stumblefoot]

It's somewhat encouraging to read this thread, maybe our experience will be different this time.Here's how your Butler experience would have gone on SilverSea I imagine.

Us: "We'd like to arrange having coffee, juice, and croissants delivered to our cabin at 7 AM every morning."

Butler: "Yes sir Mr. Randy. I will arrange that with room service right away. May I ask, would you prefer regular or decaf coffee? Also, what is your juice preference? And, finally, would you enjoy jam, jelly, or marmalade with your croissants?"

Us: "We also have some dry cleaning we'd like done. How do we arrange that?"

Butler: "I can take care of that for you right now if you would like. Are there any items that you would like to wear this evening?"

Us: "Can we arrange for fresh ice every afternoon?"

Butler: "It would be my pleasure to take care of that for you. Is there a particular time you would like your ice refreshed?"

Have a great time on your cruise!

[Randyk47]

Here's how your Butler experience would have gone on SilverSea I imagine.

Us: "We'd like to arrange having coffee, juice, and croissants delivered to our cabin at 7 AM every morning."

Butler: "Yes sir Mr. Randy. I will arrange that with room service right away. May I ask, would you prefer regular or decaf coffee? Also, what is your juice preference? And, finally, would you enjoy jam, jelly, or marmalade with your croissants?"

Us: "We also have some dry cleaning we'd like done. How do we arrange that?"

Butler: "I can take care of that for you right now if you would like. Are there any items that you would like to wear this evening?"

Us: "Can we arrange for fresh ice every afternoon?"

Butler: "It would be my pleasure to take care of that for you. Is there a particular time you would like your ice refreshed?"

Have a great time on your cruise!

That sounds great! We're not demanding people. My paraphrasing really runs along the lines of the things we like or ask for on a cruise or at a resort. We certainly don't sit around in our cabin dreaming up "butler challenges" just to see how far we can push the limits. :) As for our Celebrity butler....interesting fellow who really started coming by a lot the last couple of days of the cruise. No auto-tipping on that cruise so we really got the idea that he was fishing for his tip at the end. Considering we decided his motto was "Nothing is too good for my passengers....and that's exactly what they get." :rolleyes: our tip was in lines with his attitude though, in all honesty, he did get basically the minimum recommended amount. :) The saving grace on that cruise was our room steward who was fantastic and ought to have been a butler...a fact we pointed out in our cruise comment sheet at the end of the cruise and was reflected in our tip to him.

[Herman The Cat]

That sounds great! We're not demanding people. My paraphrasing really runs along the lines of the things we like or ask for on a cruise or at a resort. We certainly don't sit around in our cabin dreaming up "butler challenges" just to see how far we can push the limits. :) As for our Celebrity butler....interesting fellow who really started coming by a lot the last couple of days of the cruise. No auto-tipping on that cruise so we really got the idea that he was fishing for his tip at the end. Considering we decided his motto was "Nothing is too good for my passengers....and that's exactly what they get." :rolleyes: our tip was in lines with his attitude though, in all honesty, he did get basically the minimum recommended amount. :) The saving grace on that cruise was our room steward who was fantastic and ought to have been a butler...a fact we pointed out in our cruise comment sheet at the end of the cruise and was reflected in our tip to him.

I think the interesting distinction here is training and professionalism. I think Celebrity (which I have cruised with before) may train their butlers. Silversea sources their butlers through the Guild of Professional English Butlers, which is an international organization that trains and certifies professional Butlers. Our Silversea butlers, and a few others we met onboard, had actually worked at some butler-intensive resorts such as the Barj Al Arab in Dubai. Perhaps Celebrity, and other ships that have butlers, take their most service-oriented staff and make them butlers. That being said, experience is such an individual thing, and I am sure there are those who have had butlers on Silversea ships that did the minimum required. But ours have always gone out of their way to be helpful yet unobtrusive. I also believe they take their cue on service from the guest.

[Herman The Cat]

That sounds fantastic! Is there a limit to the beverages you can request in your mini- bar? For instance, can I request a specific wine that is not crazy expensive? First time on SS this September and cannot wait.

I have requested certain types of wines in the room -- i.e., I would like a California Chardonnay, not a South American one -- but I have never requested a certain vineyard (I would like Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay). However, of course you could request Grey Goose instead of Absolut vodka. But I think the wine (vineyard) changes frequently on the ships.

[meow!]

Our first, and pretty much our last, conversation with our last Celebrity butler went pretty much like:We had been on Celebrity several times. One butler was just like what you described, but on another voyage, the butler was so good that we ended up giving him double the recommended tips. So it depends a lot on the particular person you happen to get.

Our butler last November/December on the Spirit was new, and he admitted that it was his first contract with no prior experience, and he was being trained on the job (not Silversea's presumed "experienced" butler). He was nice enough, and got our restaurant reservations, etc. done. He did forget a number of things, and had to be reminded several times, such as changing shower caps and toiletries (might be the cabin attendant's job, but the butler would still be responsible for following through). Not excellent, but he generally did his job.

We felt the previous senior/junior attendant pair system was more cozy, while the new butler/attendant system was more formal. Some pluses and minuses both ways.

[Randyk47]

If there was one thing that bugged us on Celebrity, again before auto-tipping, was the pretty obvious attempt by the staff, from our butler to a couple of bar personnel, to press for tips the last couple of days. About the only people who didn't do that was our waitress in the main dining room who was a jewel from day one to the last and our room steward who was a better butler than the butler. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't sense that'll happen on the Wind.

[Scotspea]

OOps wrong cruise line, thought I was on SS but must have inadvertently gone to Celebrity! :rolleyes:

[Randyk47]

OOps wrong cruise line, thought I was on SS but must have inadvertently gone to Celebrity! :rolleyes:

Sorry if I offended. I was trying to get some idea of what to expect in terms of butler service on Silversea. My only other experience has been on Celebrity where it obviously wasn't all that great. Doesn't seem to me that it would have made much sense to go to the Celebrity board and ask them if they thought I'd get the same service on Silversea. :D

[Scotspea]

No offence taken, just trying to inject a bit of humour. :D

[Stumblefoot]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't sense that'll happen on the Wind.Your sense is absolutely correct. Since your fare includes all gratuities, you will feel no pressure at all for additional tips. I think this makes the service you receive more genuine.

[CruisinPashmina]

We much prefer the old staffing of two cabin attendants, partly because we think the butler concept is pretentious and also because we feel the cleaners have to work so much harder and lonelier than before. That said, we've had some very eager to please butlers, so it is not about the staff, it's about the overall concept.

[duct tape]

I agree. Some butlers work very well as a teammate, some don't.

[TLCOhio]

On our Silversea cruise last July on the Silver Cloud (as we had the fun of sailing with duct tape and other great people), we did not know what to expect from the Butler concept. Hype or real? Was the Butler idea as more of just a marketing gimmick?

Both for us and the other couple/friends traveling with us, we were pleasantly surprised and well pleased with the "reality". Initially, it was a she or Butleress. She was great and our friends there love her and how she operated and helped. Our Butler (after we were moved with a room technical problem) was Parai Dubhaski from India. He was also super, very knowledgeable and helpful. He had worked previously with Silversea as a waiter in the dining room before doing his training for this position. His English was excellent and his communications skills were very good. Their service, spirit and style was super excellent!!! My wife liked coffee around 4 pm and it was there in the room every day after she made one passing mention early in the cruise.

For services or needs, you could just dial the phone to page our Butler and then he or she would call right back. The Hotel Director told us the "secret" or idea with the Butler service is to have a "central point of contact" to coordinate and supervise things in order to improve satisfying customer needs and interests. Our Butler had 15 rooms under his responsibility. My verdict is that it was really a “value added”. With the Butler and most all of the staff, there was a great attitude. It was not just a fake smile and only a “HI!”. They work hard being helpful and knowledgeable. Impressive!!! We didn't have the Butler unpack or pack our suitcases. Nor, did we abuse the service by asking for too much or minor things.

BIGGEST BUTLER SUCCESS: We wanted to have a “pizza party” in our suite to watch the World Cup battle between Spain and Holland. How did it happen and work? Super great!!! And the game was good, too, going into overtime to get a winner. Our Butler was spectacular in arranging all of the details. Our Columbus friends-neighbors, Janet and Denny, were there, along with new friends Sharon and Issy from the Washington, DC, area. Six people worked well for a party in our suite. We started at 8 pm with egg rolls, shrimp, crab claws, chips, etc., as a warm-up, plus a tub of chilled Champagne, wine, beer, etc. Then around 9 pm, after the game started a half hour earlier, the five different pizza selections arrived along with hot dogs, cookies, etc. We could have had more food, but we were stuffed and very happy. Not only was the game good, but out our large balcony door and window, we could watch the spectacular mountains along the coast go by as we sailed south along the Norway coast.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Just back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. These postings are now at 27,209 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:
www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 48,106 views.
www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for these two posts. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.


Here is our Butler, Parai (second from left), and four of his associates on the back of the Silver Cloud as we were sailing out from the spectacular fjords of Norway on July 3, 2010.:

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm271/tlcohio/CloudButlerFjords.jpg


For the World Cup Championship Game, Spain versus Holland, this was our “PARTY” set-up in our Silver Cloud room. It worked well for size with six in that space. We ordered off of the regular room service menu and our Butler took care of the details. In place of dining in the main DR, we had our dinning in the suite. Eight people would have been too tight for such a party in a regular suite.:

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm271/tlcohio/WorldCupPartySilverCloud.jpg

[Bradtez]

[quote=TLCOhio;30082021] On our Silversea cruise last July on the Silver Cloud (as we had the fun of sailing with duct tape and other great people), we did not know what to expect from the Butler concept. Hype or real? Was the Butler idea as more of just a marketing gimmick?

Both for us and the other couple/friends traveling with us, we were pleasantly surprised and well pleased with the "reality". Initially, it was a she or Butleress. She was great and our friends there love her and how she operated and helped. Our Butler (after we were moved with a room technical problem) was Parai Dubhaski from India. He was also super, very knowledgeable and helpful. He had worked previously with Silversea as a waiter in the dining room before doing his training for this position. His English was excellent and his communications skills were very good. Their service, spirit and style was super excellent!!! My wife liked coffee around 4 pm and it was there in the room every day after she made one passing mention early in the cruise.

For services or needs, you could just dial the phone to page our Butler and then he or she would call right back. The Hotel Director told us the "secret" or idea with the Butler service is to have a "central point of contact" to coordinate and supervise things in order to improve satisfying customer needs and interests. Our Butler had 15 rooms under his responsibility. My verdict is that it was really a “value added”. With the Butler and most all of the staff, there was a great attitude. It was not just a fake smile and only a “HI!”. They work hard being helpful and knowledgeable. Impressive!!! We didn't have the Butler unpack or pack our suitcases. Nor, did we abuse the service by asking for too much or minor things.

BIGGEST BUTLER SUCCESS: We wanted to have a “pizza party” in our suite to watch the World Cup battle between Spain and Holland. How did it happen and work? Super great!!! And the game was good, too, going into overtime to get a winner. Our Butler was spectacular in arranging all of the details. Our Columbus friends-neighbors, Janet and Denny, were there, along with new friends Sharon and Issy from the Washington, DC, area. Six people worked well for a party in our suite. We started at 8 pm with egg rolls, shrimp, crab claws, chips, etc., as a warm-up, plus a tub of chilled Champagne, wine, beer, etc. Then around 9 pm, after the game started a half hour earlier, the five different pizza selections arrived along with hot dogs, cookies, etc. We could have had more food, but we were stuffed and very happy. Not only was the game good, but out our large balcony door and window, we could watch the spectacular mountains along the coast go by as we sailed south along the Norway coast.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

GREAT pictures Terry, thankyou so much for sharing:)

[Klapka]

We have just returned from Queen Elizabeth and had a butler in our Queens Grill suite.

We told her we liked fresh orange juice and plenty of bottled water and thereafter a jug of fresh juice stood on our bar; whenever it got low it was replenished. Once she realised how much water we got through, she left several large bottles each morning. She kept the ice bucket filled so we could keep the wine cool - and never let our wine choices run out.

Although there was plenty of fruit in the suite, the choice was a bit dull and after my wife commented on this we found an abundance of juicy nectarines, grapes, etc, each day.

When we had breakfast in the cabin (three times) she served us exactly on time and very carefully.

So, from our perspective our butler genuinely added value in precisely the way that suited us.

Maybe what we asked wasn't too demanding, but we were happy.

Her performance was just one of several reasons why we would certainly cruise again with Cunard (in QG), much to our surprise.

[Wizzy wheels]

We had our first taste of the butler service on the Cloud in May and we weren't impressed.

When we first arrived the butler came and said hello and after that he kept pestering us to see if there was anything he could do. It was starting to get to the stage of wanting to say 'what part of 'we're ok' do you not understand'....

He even wrote us a note asking if we were ok as he hadn't seen us for a few days. We were hiding from him!!!!

I don't know if it's because we're from the UK, but we found him going through our drawers looking for shoes to shine - without our permission - very intrusive.

My husband was furious that his prescription sunglasses had been cleaned without his consent. The slightest distortion to his frames can cause him violent headaches and nausea so he has to be very careful with them. He won't even let me clean them.... He took to taking them with him at all times and hiding his spare pair of spectacles.

THEN on the last night when we did ask for help to pack - my husband was ill and I'm part in a wheelchair/part crutches so needed couldn't manage on my own - we were ignored.

Wizzy

[CruisinPashmina]

WOW! Hope you were this specific on your ship comment cards. The fellow you described either needs a whole lot of training or he should be replaced. While I am far from crazy about the butler system, most of the butlers with whom we have sailed have been fine...not one of them were even close to being as terrible as your description. I hope this experience hasn't spoiled your interest in sailing with SS again. I honestly feel this was an aberration.

[Scotspea]

We have just returned from Queen Elizabeth and had a butler in our Queens Grill suite.

We told her we liked fresh orange juice and plenty of bottled water and thereafter a jug of fresh juice stood on our bar; whenever it got low it was replenished. Once she realised how much water we got through, she left several large bottles each morning. She kept the ice bucket filled so we could keep the wine cool - and never let our wine choices run out.

Although there was plenty of fruit in the suite, the choice was a bit dull and after my wife commented on this we found an abundance of juicy nectarines, grapes, etc, each day.

When we had breakfast in the cabin (three times) she served us exactly on time and very carefully.

So, from our perspective our butler genuinely added value in precisely the way that suited us.

Maybe what we asked wasn't too demanding, but we were happy.

Her performance was just one of several reasons why we would certainly cruise again with Cunard (in QG), much to our surprise.

Sorry can't see any relevance to Silversea!

[Wizzy wheels]

WOW! Hope you were this specific on your ship comment cards. The fellow you described either needs a whole lot of training or he should be replaced. While I am far from crazy about the butler system, most of the butlers with whom we have sailed have been fine...not one of them were even close to being as terrible as your description. I hope this experience hasn't spoiled your interest in sailing with SS again. I honestly feel this was an aberration.

Hello CruisinPashmina,

There wasn't enough room on the comment card to put everything down so told them that our concerns would be sent in a separate letter. It's on our to-do shortly list as we haven't had time.

We've been sailing with SS since 2003 and out of all the staff that we've met he was the worst. Even his side kick was no better....

Don't worry it hasn't put us off sailing with SS. Our next cruise was booked when we were away. All we'll do in future is advise the butler and his side-kick on arrival that if we want anything doing, we'll let you know and then to leave us alone.

Wizzy

[TLCOhio]

GREAT pictures Terry, thankyou so much for sharing:)

THANKS, Brad & Tez, for the nice comments on the pictures from wise minds "down under"! Have Australia and New Zealand next on our "wish list". Looking forward to seeing your beautiful part of the world.

Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 28,853 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:
www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Otis]

I do hope that someone at Silversea is reading this so that efforts can be made to clarify this whole butler thing. These informative posts have added anxiety as we most certainly do not want anyone rifling through our belongings looking for things to clean or shine. The degree of attention people want is widely variable, so steps should be built in to figure out at the beginning of a cruise what passengers do and don't want.

The butler concept has become rather trendy and the range we have seen at various hotels has been enormous, from a butler we literally never saw to one who hovered so much that we had to ask management to reassign him. It is clear that people are confused and, while we are about to take our first Silversea cruise, we have always gotten superb, pitch perfect service on Seabourn by someone not called a butler.

[dougburns]

You will find that the butlers aboard SS ships are professional and will not invade your privacy. When you first get to your suite your butler will come in and explain the bath products, etc. to you; will ask what kind of booze you want and if there is anything that he or she can do for you. They will not unpack your things or disturb anything unless you ask them to. Many of the butlers on SS have vast experience ashore as butlers. They are not amateurs. For example, our butler on the last 2 cruises was a college graduate, had 2 years at the Oberoi in Shri Lanka, had 3 years at the Burg el Arab in Dubai and was extremely professional. I was skeptical at first when they instituted the program in 2009, but no longer. Enjoy!

[Goldens4]

When you meet your butler, just tell him want you want or do not want. Very simple. They are not mind readers and are just trying to do their job.

[Herman The Cat]

I do hope that someone at Silversea is reading this so that efforts can be made to clarify this whole butler thing. These informative posts have added anxiety as we most certainly do not want anyone rifling through our belongings looking for things to clean or shine. The degree of attention people want is widely variable, so steps should be built in to figure out at the beginning of a cruise what passengers do and don't want.



It's a shame that a post has added anxiety to your voyage. I'm not sure that the "whole butler thing" needs clarification. They are there to perform the service that you wish at the level that you wish. I think the butlers are highly professional, well-trained and extraordinarily respectful of privacy. They do not touch or disturb things unless you ask them to. I personally wouldn't worry about any of this stuff ; it sounds like the experience one of the posters had was an outlier, even to the poster (who has cruised frequently).


You will find that the butlers aboard SS ships are professional and will not invade your privacy. When you first get to your suite your butler will come in and explain the bath products, etc. to you; will ask what kind of booze you want and if there is anything that he or she can do for you. They will not unpack your things or disturb anything unless you ask them to. Many of the butlers on SS have vast experience ashore as butlers. They are not amateurs. For example, our butler on the last 2 cruises was a college graduate, had 2 years at the Oberoi in Shri Lanka, had 3 years at the Burg el Arab in Dubai and was extremely professional. I was skeptical at first when they instituted the program in 2009, but no longer. Enjoy!

Doug, well-said and accurate.

[Older Party]

That's a great question, Nevada. I too, only have 1 SS cruise under my belt and we were at a loss as to what to do with Arvin.

He always asked, "is there anything I can do" , "what do you need" and I realize now that by always saying, "no, we're fine, thank you" that we were in fact making HIS job more difficult because he couldn't antisipate our needs since we never asked for anything.

Right off the bat, we told him we would be low maintenance and did like our privacy, so don't worry about us. I had to laugh on the last night of cruising because he dragged out our suitcases from under the bed and wrote a note "I took the liberty of washing your luggage since they had a few scufs on it". LOL...now, THAT is service!

He did take care of our laundry, served us breakfast in our suite a few times, and helped with some internet issues. Would love to hear everyone else's answer.

While on the Cloud, my Butler Go Go Danced for me! ;)

[Northerncheapo]

Hmmm...I wonder if any of the silver suites come with a pole :p

You def. win, Older Post...that is priceless!

[NC&KY]

This whole discussion is in terms of "he." Are all the butlers male?

[dougburns]

Absolutely not! We had several female butlers aboard Silver Spirit. On the maiden Transatlantic one had to quit though, because she couldn't handle the food trays while opening the suite doors. Too bad, because she was a really nice person.

[NYLady]

Here's how your Butler experience would have gone on SilverSea I imagine.

Us: "We'd like to arrange having coffee, juice, and croissants delivered to our cabin at 7 AM every morning."

Butler: "Yes sir Mr. Randy. I will arrange that with room service right away. May I ask, would you prefer regular or decaf coffee? Also, what is your juice preference? And, finally, would you enjoy jam, jelly, or marmalade with your croissants?"

Us: "We also have some dry cleaning we'd like done. How do we arrange that?"

Butler: "I can take care of that for you right now if you would like. Are there any items that you would like to wear this evening?"

Us: "Can we arrange for fresh ice every afternoon?"

Butler: "It would be my pleasure to take care of that for you. Is there a particular time you would like your ice refreshed?"

Have a great time on your cruise!

I really must learn more about SilverSea cruising! I have never seriously looked into SilverSea because I thought it would be too expensive, however, as we become more experienced with cruising, we are finding that having good space and good service in the cabin makes all the difference for us and we are now willing to pay more. I will be reading many SilverSea threads to learn more. Are all the cabins "suites"?

[wripro]

though they are called suites they are technically one large space with a curtain dividing the sleeping and living areas. On the Cloud and Wind the suites are 240 sq. ft of interior space. On the Whisper and Shadow they are 287 sq. ft. On the Spirit lightly larger. To get a true separation you have to move up to a Silver suite at least. That said, they are all comfortable and come with the same great service.

[billcrooz]

I put a lot of thought to what the butler could do for me .he said anything so I asked him to make my wife 25 again.......didn't work!

[Emtbsam]

I put a lot of thought to what the butler could do for me .he said anything so I asked him to make my wife 25 again.......didn't work!

Shame on you! LOL. SHE asked that he make you 40 again.

[farbster]

I asked our Butler if we could have chocolate covered strawberries one day after our excursion. We got them two days in a row. She was also helpful in getting people to fix our shower door (it wouldn't close properly). Also, we had a concert in Ephesus during the evening and the dryer hadn't finished its cycle yet. She was able to get our laundry and even folded it for us.

[SusanNJ]

I guess you were lucky. Ours on the Cloud did nothing other than deliver room service. I had to introduce myself to him.

[Otis]

Before we embarked on the Shadow, I was concerned about the butler being intrusive. That very much turned out to be a waste of energy, as we didn't even see our butler for three days. From listening to others on this very cruise comment, it is clear that is service is not well defined or standardized. To my eye, the butlers function about 90 percent of the time as room service attendants. It seems silly to see them dressed in formal wear carrying trays to and fro. I feel absolutely no rapport with our butler, have to page him with any request and find this system awkward. This is the first of many cruises in which the cabin attendant has not been a positive part of the experience.