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What do you use a butler for


WonderousBlue
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I am very curious, when your in a suite that has a butler service, what does the butler do? What are some things you can ask of him or her? I've never been in a class suite to have a butler, it it's about to happen and I just wanted to enjoy that for all its benefits... Thanks in advance!

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Our first Azamara cruise is coming next year, but I can tell you from our many experiences in suites on Celebrity.

Basically, the room steward is there to take care of your room. Your butler is there to take care of you. We are very independent travelers so the first couple times we really had no clue. After reading on here and basically just ASKING a butler what he'd like to do, we found it rather fun.

We met people pre-cruise in Barcelona last year and we all bought some wine and champagne to bring on board. We decided to have a little private cocktail party one afternoon. I asked our butler to set up the room and bring in some trays of shrimp, fruits, cheese, etc., whatever he thought. He really came through! He set up beautifully draped tables and arranged everything so nicely. Of course we tipped him very well.

Our butler on Celebrity always brings us our room service. On port days we nearly always get breakfast delivered and that's so nice while we get ready to leave.

Butlers will make reservations for you, but we never do that. If I can make a call I'm certainly not going to ask someone else to do it. They advertise packing and unpacking services but all I can say is eeeeuw.

 

Azamara butlers might have a different job description but I bet it's similar.

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We have been fortunate enough to enjoy the services of a butler on all of our cruises on Celebrity and Azamara.

 

We have enjoyed the butler services for many things including hosting cocktail parties where we have had appetizer platters to accompany the drinks, having clothes laundered/pressed, shoes shined/repaired, breakfast each morning we choose set up in the suite dining room waiting for us when we awoke, dinner reservations at specialty restaurants (or main select dining on Celebrity), and other things that I just cannot recall at the moment.

 

Of the many cruises we have enjoyed we have only encountered one butler (not Azamara) that was absolutely not suited for the job and we did not ask him for anything once we encountered his lack of service...and we conveyed our experience to his superiors and the line. We also were not the only guests that felt this way during that particular cruise. I believe he just was not trained properly nor did he enjoy his position as the first thing he said to me was how he hated the uniform he was forced to wear as he was wiping the sweat from his brow, I felt bad for him at that moment, little did I know that he also hated his job it seemed.

 

You will enjoy the butlers on Azamara no doubt as they do an outstanding job and will do just about anything you ask of them. We do not ask them to pack/unpack for us as it is listed in the services or any other housekeeping tasks and everything I listed above are things that have typically been offered before we even thought about asking.

 

That all being said, we do show our "gratitude" at the end of our cruise as we also do the stewards, but the tipping discussion has been discussed at nauseum on this site so to each his own.

 

Enjoy your cruise and your butler!:)

Edited by LOP
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Thank you both so much for your input... Just would like to know what different people may use their butler for;specifics.... Never having had that luxury, I might feel a bit lost :). How do you guys tip your butler? I wouldn't want to do to cheap. When you have an in room cocktail party is there an extra charge for appetizers or drinks, if there is alcohol as well is ther an extra charge?

 

Thanks, stacey

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as far as tips go I get envelopes at the front desk. i give money the night before the end of cruise. i had him make or cancel dinner plans.. he bring me my morning coffee . if something breaks i tell him not he front desk . He has packed my dresses only while i do the rest. saves time. he brings after tea or snacks if wanted. .some nights i have room service and he brings that.

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Thank you both so much for your input... Just would like to know what different people may use their butler for;specifics.... Never having had that luxury, I might feel a bit lost :). How do you guys tip your butler? I wouldn't want to do to cheap. When you have an in room cocktail party is there an extra charge for appetizers or drinks, if there is alcohol as well is ther an extra charge?

 

Thanks, stacey

 

Only thing I have ever had to pay for concerning a party was the drinks...if they were not included in the ship amenities.

 

Again, tipping is subjective and we have learned it is best to tip at the completion of the cruise. We NEVER take into consideration the tips that are pre-paid when we tip extra, but that is us. The best butler we ever encountered received an extra nice sum at cruise completion, the worst received an extra $0 as I mentioned in my earlier post.

 

Based on what is done for us by the butler we tip an extra 3-4 digits if that helps...although some will argue that is too much, again it is subjective and we are not the norm from what I have read. We also tip the stewards extra.

 

ANYTHING extra is appreciated by the butler and stewards from our experience.

Edited by LOP
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Only thing I have ever had to pay for concerning a party was the drinks...if they were not included in the ship amenities.

 

Again, tipping is subjective and we have learned it is best to tip at the completion of the cruise. We NEVER take into consideration the tips that are pre-paid when we tip extra, but that is us. The best butler we ever encountered received an extra nice sum at cruise completion, the worst received an extra $0 as I mentioned in my earlier post.

 

Based on what is done for us by the butler we tip an extra 3-4 digits if that helps...although some will argue that is too much, again it is subjective and we are not the norm from what I have read. We also tip the stewards extra.

 

ANYTHING extra is appreciated by the butler and stewards from our experience.

 

 

I give several people more money on the ship. . they say tips are included but it is never enough.i also have learned the room attnedants do not always get off or waiters so i buy little surprised from spicy chips to candy md cruises.

 

Christmas i am always giving gifts. they miss family and and just being remembered makes them happy.

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If you have dinner in your suite, your butler can do the complete set-up, and will act as your personal waiter. Your butler can make dinner reservations (already said) and fetch DVDs.

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We have been fortunate enough to enjoy the services of a butler on all of our cruises on Celebrity and Azamara.

 

We have enjoyed the butler services for many things including hosting cocktail parties where we have had appetizer platters to accompany the drinks, having clothes laundered/pressed, shoes shined/repaired, breakfast each morning we choose set up in the suite dining room waiting for us when we awoke, dinner reservations at specialty restaurants (or main select dining on Celebrity), and other things that I just cannot recall at the moment.

 

Of the many cruises we have enjoyed we have only encountered one butler (not Azamara) that was absolutely not suited for the job and we did not ask him for anything once we encountered his lack of service...and we conveyed our experience to his superiors and the line. We also were not the only guests that felt this way during that particular cruise. I believe he just was not trained properly nor did he enjoy his position as the first thing he said to me was how he hated the uniform he was forced to wear as he was wiping the sweat from his brow, I felt bad for him at that moment, little did I know that he also hated his job it seemed.

 

You will enjoy the butlers on Azamara no doubt as they do an outstanding job and will do just about anything you ask of them. We do not ask them to pack/unpack for us as it is listed in the services or any other housekeeping tasks and everything I listed above are things that have typically been offered before we even thought about asking.

 

That all being said, we do show our "gratitude" at the end of our cruise as we also do the stewards, but the tipping discussion has been discussed at nauseum on this site so to each his own.

 

Enjoy your cruise and your butler!:)

 

If anything else comes to mind as to some other things a butler does please share, thanks :)

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On the Regent forum, there is a similar thread to this one, titled "the butler did it..." or something similar. DRIB posted the following reply:

 

Your butler can unpack for you when you arrive and re-pack for you when you go.

 

Your butler can arrange to have your pants let out, five days into the cruise, when they are too tight. You can also request that they follow you around the ship and slap the food from your hands when they think you've had enough.

 

Your butler can balance your checkbook within a few dollars, notarize documents for you, and give you wonderful, albeit unorthodox, legal advice.

 

Your butler can let you into your neighbor's cabin when they are not there, and help you to TP (toilet paper) their cabin. I know because I've done that. You can request a specific brand of TP - they will go out of their way to get you that brand, because this is Regent!

 

I heard of a butler that helped to slip a whoopee cushion under the captain's chair during the farewell dinner. And one time, in Monaco, the butler helped me call the Royal Palace and ask if Prince Albert was still in the can. We both had a good snicker from that one!

 

In short, your butler will do just about anything to make sure you enjoy your cruise. I highly recommend that you take full advantage of your butler if you have one.

 

Personally, we enjoyed the afternoon shrimp cocktail plate that our butler brought to our cabin, Largest shrimp I have ever eaten. Enjoy!

Edited by cruisemuse13
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On the Regent forum, there is a similar thread to this one, titled "the butler did it..." or something similar. DRIB posted the following reply:

 

Your butler can unpack for you when you arrive and re-pack for you when you go.

 

Your butler can arrange to have your pants let out, five days into the cruise, when they are too tight. You can also request that they follow you around the ship and slap the food from your hands when they think you've had enough.

 

Your butler can balance your checkbook within a few dollars, notarize documents for you, and give you wonderful, albeit unorthodox, legal advice.

 

Your butler can let you into your neighbor's cabin when they are not there, and help you to TP (toilet paper) their cabin. I know because I've done that. You can request a specific brand of TP - they will go out of their way to get you that brand, because this is Regent!

 

I heard of a butler that helped to slip a whoopee cushion under the captain's chair during the farewell dinner. And one time, in Monaco, the butler helped me call the Royal Palace and ask if Prince Albert was still in the can. We both had a good snicker from that one!

 

In short, your butler will do just about anything to make sure you enjoy your cruise. I highly recommend that you take full advantage of your butler if you have one.

 

Personally, we enjoyed the afternoon shrimp cocktail plate that our butler brought to our cabin, Largest shrimp I have ever eaten. Enjoy!

 

 

:D:eek: Lol... I am ROFL..... Vry funny... Thanks for this !

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We usually tip a bit after a couple days and then again every few days. We don't tip as much as the poster above. We might tip $20 here and there and a few dollars each time room service comes. Then we give a bit more at the end.

 

We've never given gifts. Although ship's staff would smile and say thank you and be appreciative, they'd much rather have cash. The end.

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We've never given gifts. Although ship's staff would smile and say thank you and be appreciative, they'd much rather have cash. The end.

 

yes, they want money. But bringing on local candy or crisps they also love.. it is saying I thought abut you today. one butler collects magnets and i get them. i might get to a store and bring something back but i have been given too.

Edited by ellbon
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  • 1 month later...

Based on what is done for us by the butler we tip an extra 3-4 digits if that helps...although some will argue that is too much, .

 

4 digits would be $1000. Wow, I have never tipped that much extra. I have tipped $100 for a party that he did one time.

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We've done several suite cruises, and asked the exact same question you have. Answer, well, not all that much. They do bring you unsolicited tea and cakes in the afternoon, which is not standard operating procedure at the non suite level, not that your room attendant won't bring you the exact same goodies if requested. I destroyed a shoe in Singapore a few years back and could not find an open shoe repair shop to get it fixed. Our Butler took care of it as soon as we boarded, had the shoe back the next day. Again, not that your attendant at a different level would not have provided the exact same service. Oh, when they DO provide these lovely extra services, they wear formal coat tails (Don't remember about white gloves, but I think they did.) Your room attendant WON'T be in tails, when the tea and cakes are delivered - to their relief.

 

Azamara service is superb, the crew, from the highest to the lowest, is a delight. But really, the Butler shtick is a bit of a put on. A nice put on, but a put on. Enjoy your trip, with or without your Butler! We are going transatlantic in April, sans butler I'm afraid, and are still counting the days.

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We've done several suite cruises, and asked the exact same question you have. Answer, well, not all that much. They do bring you unsolicited tea and cakes in the afternoon, which is not standard operating procedure at the non suite level, not that your room attendant won't bring you the exact same goodies if requested. I destroyed a shoe in Singapore a few years back and could not find an open shoe repair shop to get it fixed. Our Butler took care of it as soon as we boarded, had the shoe back the next day. Again, not that your attendant at a different level would not have provided the exact same service. Oh, when they DO provide these lovely extra services, they wear formal coat tails (Don't remember about white gloves, but I think they did.) Your room attendant WON'T be in tails, when the tea and cakes are delivered - to their relief.

 

Azamara service is superb, the crew, from the highest to the lowest, is a delight. But really, the Butler shtick is a bit of a put on. A nice put on, but a put on. Enjoy your trip, with or without your Butler! We are going transatlantic in April, sans butler I'm afraid, and are still counting the days.

 

Just remember that an alcoholic beverage delivered to your cabin is not complimentary even though it may be on the complimentary list. I think that is correct. Someone else correct me if I am wrong.

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I really don't know. My guess is that if you were to ask for a glass of whatever it was that was served at lunch yesterday, it would be complementary. I'm pretty certain that is the case at the bars - house liquor is on the house, fancier drinks are charged. But I don't know. But considering the no tipping policy, which I love, even if you were to get hit for a bar charge, it is still going to be very reasonable. My 2 cents...

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Here is the story.

On the Quest in 2014 we had stopped in Cabo San Lucas and were walking around and I spotted some Sangrita which is a highly seasoned red drink non alcoholic sold in the grocery store. I bought some and brought it to the ship. I passed up several places offering a shot of tequila for one or two dollars. I got back to the cabin and ordered some tequila. The butler brought it and then told me I had to sign the ticket for it which might have been $7.. I don’t remember exactly. That is when I found out that one had to pay for the drink if the butler brought it to the room. It was more than just a shot so I enjoyed my “Tequila/Sangrita” . I left the rest of the tequila in the glass and went looking for it the next day and the wife thought it was just left over water and threw it away. Now either I have to go and get my own tequila or carry my sangrita with me to the bar.

Gave up an just drank the sangrita.

 

 

Sangrita (meaning "little blood"), whose origin dates back to the 1920s, is a customary partner to a shot of straight tequila blanco; a non-alcoholic accompaniment that highlights tequila's crisp acidity and cleanses the palate between each peppery sip. The basic conception of sangrita is to complement the flavor of 100% agave tequila, which is also peppery and citrusy in taste. Before increased worldwide popularity and corporate interest in tequila in the late 1990s and early 21st century, few outside of the Mexican Pacific region bordering the state of Jalisco, where tequila was mainly produced and consumed, knew of the existence of sangrita, and much less its recipe. As popularity grew, so did commercial efforts to recreate the mysterious red, spicy drink that was served with tequila. In fact the drink was not that mysterious. While most outsiders would reference its red make up as tomato juice and spices, locals and traditionalists agree that the one ingredient that most likely doesn't belong is tomato.

A popular recipe in Guadalajara (Jalisco's largest city) was said to have originated from the leftover juices (mainly orange) of an equally popular regional fruit salad covered with fine chilli powder, usually piquin. As the fruit salad, known to tapatios (Guadalajara's natives) as pico de gallo, was consumed from a large bowl during breakfast, the remaining juice was saved and poured on a small and narrow clay cup, which itself would be the precursor of the tequila shot glass. In essence, the recipe of the original sangrita is thought to be that and the same recipe of the fruit salad from which it was strained. In almost all cases the drink took its bright red color from a mix of the fine pepper powder, spices, and pomegranate, while the base was mainly orange or sweetened lime juice. The key to a balanced sangrita recipe can be found in the fruit salad's recipes, which would have included any or all of the following: tangerine, cucumber, papaya, mango and jicama.

Traditionally, Sangrita is served with tequila blanco, but it can also accompany tequila reposado. The tequila and Sangrita are each poured into a separate shot glass (or caballito) and the two are alternately sipped, not chased. Sangrita is used in a drink known as "The Mexican Flag", where three separate double shot glasses are filled with lime juice, tequila and sangrita.

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