Butler, what Butler?

[terrydtx]

46 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Always fascinates us how staff can remember us from cruise to cruise too. The M’D in Murano remembered preparing us a Steak Dianne two years previously and offered us the treat again!

 

 

Every time we walked into Luminae we were greeted by our names and thanked for coming in that night. The M'D must have a photographic memory as a job requirement. Last year on the Equinox for our 50th anniversary we decide to have dinner in Murano the night of our actual anniversary. The next night when we entered Luminae for dinner the M'D greeted us and said his staff was so sorry they missed us for our big event the night before, he said but tonight we have a special table for you. They had set up a table for 2 by a window with red roses and a bottle of champagne and he escorted us to the table. Later in the night I asked how they knew we would be in Luminae that night and he said they had coordinated it with our PRH. I remembered earlier in the afternoon our Butler asked us what time we thought we would be going to dinner in Luminae so that they could make up our room while we dinned.  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The only thing I can add to this excellent advice is that great butlers and maitre d's are very good at what they do and recognizing you is part of their job.  Again, communication.  Whenever we would plan to dine in a specialty restaurant, we would let the maitre d' know so he/she wouldn't expect us that evening.

 

Also, please recognize that they have a lot of suites to attend to.  I once asked our fabulous butler on the Summit for something minor (can't remember what) and he replied that he couldn't at that moment as he was the only butler on duty covering for all the other butlers.  Not a problem.  If you work with them, they will work with you.

[barneymag]

5 hours ago, chemmo said:

I think what is confusing is the difference between standard service and those butlers who add a bit more. Added confusion comes from upper suites who have more perks to start with…

 

I will try to list what I think is standard sky suite service and hopefully others will add or correct me as necessary.

 

In a Sky Suite your butler will bring you speciality coffee any time of day.

He will bring and serve you breakfast from the suite menu.

He will serve any room service order any time of day and set it up on the balcony or in suite.

He will serve you dinner from the MDR menu.

He will fill up your ice twice daily on request.

If you request he will deliver you an afternoon snack daily.

If you want to book a restaurant or another service or change a booking he will do it.

If you have any laundry he will take and return (not free).

If you have any issues (wet shoes after excursions) he will sort it.

If you are arranging a sail away with friends he will arrange cold snacks.

In addition to the above some guests have report additional services. Note, the addition of these services could be directed by the suite manager and the butler may not be at liberty to do them.

 

He will if you have a drinks package stock your fridge with soda and water.

He will on a special occasion arrange room service from Luminae (pre arranged).

Decorate your room for a special occasion.

Provide a bottle of wine.

 

Finally I will list some of the things a few guests have reported getting which we we don’t  request when we are in a top suite. Quite simply, if all guests requested these additions the service would be overwhelmed.

 

Bring alcoholic drinks to your room.

Bring Luminae food to your room on demand.

Provide in suite additional champagne or wine.

 

Higher suites have the following extra amenities in suite.

 

A bar set up including soda, water, 2 x 2 litre spirits.

Free laundry.

Free access to speciality restaurants.

 

Hope I have not confused you more! I think the key message from most of this post has been to talk to your butler…Expect that if you have requested ice and a snack daily to query if it doesn’t come, communication breakdowns can occur, remember English is most probably your butler’s second language.
 

Ask if your butler can provide water and soda in suite and if he says no simply ask him to empty it then stock it yourself by simply bringing a few unopened cans back as you return to your room the first few days.

 

If you were planning a special occasion in suite meal chat to your butler at least 24 hours before. Ask if it is possible to order from Luminae but be prepared that (by directive) he may say no. If, for example, lots of guests are requesting this the M’D of Luminae may feel it could interfere with standard restaurant service and issue a standard firm ‘no’ to this request for all guests.

 

Remember, you have been given the phone number so you can call anytime with a query or concern. If your butler is off duty your call will be directed to another who can follow exactly the same requests.

 

 

 

 

Thank you Chemmo

 

Really useful info and helps us anticipate what may be provided with discussion with our Butler/PRH

 

...... and if they can't provide a particular request then we'll just work around that.

 

Cheers !!

[Pinboy]

How about a little humor about Butlers/ Suites entitled " What d'ya do IF ":

-Ya order breakfast every morning for 7:36 , but, ya sleep in one day and are woken up by ' tap, tap tap' on the door ? Not a pleasant sight for the Butler when ya open the door ( LOL ).

- Ya give your Butler a list of the Specialty restaurants/Spa treatments etc ahead of time and there are no reservations available ? ( the back and forth would drive me " nuts " waiting to hear back re other options ).

- Ya change your mind at the last minute about " anything " on your list and the Butler shows up with the 14 mini sandwiches, 12 chocolate chip cookies , and 6 shrimp cocktails  ya ordered , or confirms that he " pulled some strings " and got you the reservation you couldn't get previously and now don't want ? 

- Ya got noooo patience and prefer to do everything for yourself, when, where , etc on a cruise and don't rely on nobody ? Let's say " You know who " decides at the last minute that You shouldn't be eatin no more red meat and your Butler shows up with the 2 filet mignons you waited for all day. 

In all seriousness -- from reading this thread , they really do an excellent job as do every other Staff member --- just treat them with respect ( kills me when I see otherwise ) and show them the appreciation ( $$ ) they deserve as they are doing their best to ensure that we have a great cruise.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, Pinboy said:

In all seriousness -- from reading this thread , they really do an excellent job as do every other Staff member --- just treat them with respect ( kills me when I see otherwise ) and show them the appreciation ( $$ ) they deserve as they are doing their best to ensure that we have a great cruise.

Totally agree!
 

I think especially in these times of staff shortages, staff being quarantined, guests being quarantined and the pressure this puts on room service we should all be tolerant. Like you, seeing staff not being treated with respect is heartbreaking. ‘Not treating with respect’ includes, in our personal opinion, not being happy with service on board but then giving poor reviews or ‘venting’ on CC rather than following the channels on board available. We have had very little to complain about in our many years of Celebrity Cruising but if we have had an issue we have always discussed and given Celebrity the chance to ‘put things right’.
 

On a previous post I also mentioned about the degree of flexibility Butlers may have in providing extra services,  like filling up the fridges in Sky Suites. If I was the Suite Manager at present  I would be asking my hard pressed Butlers to focus on the core role and add the extras if and when they can…

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by chemmo

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I tried to think of things to add and I couldn't you covered what to expect in a Sky Suite so thoroughly. 

 

Here is one example of how a Butler will go above and beyond what you may expect. One afternoon my wife and I were walking down the hall to our SS cabin with drinks in hands from the Retreat Lounge and our Butler stopped us and said next time we wanted a drink to call him, and he will get them for us. I thanked him but we never did use him for that other than brining a mimosa for the wife and a bloody Mary for me with breakfast a couple of times. 

You sound so like us! 
 

If we want an afternoon drink or a late night drink we will simply bring it back ourselves…It would never occur to us to call the butler and expect him to bring us drinks. 

[terrydtx]

15 minutes ago, chemmo said:

You sound so like us! 
 

If we want an afternoon drink or a late night drink we will simply bring it back ourselves…It would never occur to us to call the butler and expect him to bring us drinks. 

We enjoy the interaction with the Retreat Lounge bartenders and meeting fellow cruise passengers, We have made lasting friendships in that lounge. The time we were walking down the hall and our Butler saw us with drinks we were returning from the Lounge and as we were leaving the bartender asked if we wanted one for the road. Oh I am sure we would enjoy cruising with you too.

 

My other favorite Butler story was from the Equinox on the first morning when he brought our breakfast to our cabin with a pot of coffee. He asked how we liked everything and I mentioned that the coffee was not as strong as we like. He said he would fix that and returned a few minutes later with a new pot and it was stronger and perfect. He said he stopped at Cafe El Bacio and added several shots of expresso to the pot, he did that every morning of the cruise after that. The espresso/coffee was so much better than any in suite coffee pot would have been.

Edited June 21, 2022 by terrydtx

[mfs2k]

My wife says she doesn’t need the butler.
She has me. 

🙄🙄

[mrgabriel]

TLDR all replies ...

 

We sailed at the beginning of the month on Eclipse. Our first time in a suite. Our retreat host was really good. We didn't ask for much but when we did, he was on it. We had canapes every afternoon, extra ice, wine, beer, liquor all the time. He didn't pack or unpack but otherwise, it was 'as advertised'. 

[mrgabriel]

On 6/15/2022 at 8:38 AM, Jim_Iain said:

The name Butler and the Name Michael's were changed about 2 years ago.   

 

Michaels's of course changed names many years ago to The Retreat.

 

On Eclipse two weeks ago it was MICHAEL'S CLUB - not only on the signage but also in all of the materials we were provided, plus on the app. 

[DevilinaBluDress]

I just shared our experience this week so far as first time suite guests on the Eclipse including how we are communicating with our PRH and some special things he has done:

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by DevilinaBluDress
Additional information

[chemmo]

5 hours ago, mfs2k said:

My wife says she doesn’t need the butler.
She has me. 

🙄🙄

And you are not shared with other cabins either!

[chemmo]

4 hours ago, DevilinaBluDress said:

I just shared our experience this week so far as first time suite guests on the Eclipse including how we are communicating with our PRH and some special things he has done:

 

So pleased you are enjoying your cruise! Thanks for sharing your experience. I am sure your butler appreciated the note, so much easier for him than trying to remember a stream of verbal messages.

Edited June 22, 2022 by chemmo

[GastroGnome]

We did have an absent butler once - but raised the issue with the Concierge (now retreat host) and they were swapped.  Outside that always astounding service.  In particular shout out to Jackie (Then Silhouette now Beyond) who swapped his "side" to bulter for us 3 cruises in a row in 2021.  

 

There have been so many brilliant friends over the years but one that went above and beyond and will always be in my heart was Katya.  She came in to turn down one formal night and I was having a bit of a mare with my hair.  I have very long fairly fine hair and - a bit like trying to reverse park - if you get it wrong the first time it can be very difficult to get right.  DH had given up and gone down.  Katya came in, I said to go ahead I would only be a minute and carried on trying to pin.  She asked if she could help and immediately (when I said yes of course!) unpinned and repinned the entire creation in about 2 minutes flat.  Every night after that she tapped on the door at about 10 to 7 to check if she could help.  A couple of times I tooker her up on it as there are styles you can't do without a reciprocating mirror so you can see behind you (well I can't anyway).  Probably a girl thing and not something to ask someone to do - but a wonderful personal touch.

 

Oh... and the poor lad  - I think he was Winston - who had to explain to me what had happened to 3 bras in ships laundry.....

[Cruise a holic]

On 6/17/2022 at 6:37 PM, Snit13 said:

We too had Anu on our April Constellation.  He was everywhere and we never wanted for a thing.  Sometimes I think he knew what I wanted before I wanted it.  No matter what the cost I go with a Suite or Aqua. 

Aqua is just a glorified balcony cabin that you paid more for IMO.  Cannot compare to a suite.  Blu not great at all IMO.

[mfs2k]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Blu not great at all IMO.

Loved Blu breakfasts on Equinox when we sailed Aqua. 

So civilized and pleasant.  Much nicer than the alternatives. 

Dinners were good.  Not as nice as the Specialty restaurants. 

But I digress from the topic. 

[TeeRick]

On 6/19/2022 at 3:18 PM, terrydtx said:

In the last few days I have seen posts about complaints with butlers over minutia, one because her Butler wouldn't put their empty suit cases under the bed for them and an other over not having a coffee maker and/or a hot kettle in their CS. Neither of these are part of the normal duties of any Celebrity PRH. 

Coming here to the CC boards and complaining about your butler servicing your suite on a cruise ship- the ultimate First World problem.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I just bumped up to a Sky Suite on my February Apex cruise thanks to the no-single-supplement promotion - figured YOLO, might as well go for it!

 

Regarding the water and soda in the fridge - is that something that I could express in advance or would it be better expressed on embarkation day? I'd love it to be stocked with water and Diet Coke in it? It's just me, so I doubt that I'd need it restocked if that was a problem; but it would be nice to have it to begin with if possible.

 

If it's not possible, I can certainly do the water myself - I usually ask for a bottle of water every time I get a drink - but is there somewhere you can ask for cans of soda?

[terrydtx]

6 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I just bumped up to a Sky Suite on my February Apex cruise thanks to the no-single-supplement promotion - figured YOLO, might as well go for it!

 

Regarding the water and soda in the fridge - is that something that I could express in advance or would it be better expressed on embarkation day? I'd love it to be stocked with water and Diet Coke in it? It's just me, so I doubt that I'd need it restocked if that was a problem; but it would be nice to have it to begin with if possible.

 

If it's not possible, I can certainly do the water myself - I usually ask for a bottle of water every time I get a drink - but is there somewhere you can ask for cans of soda?

Our last cruise, our Sky Suite Butler asked us when we met him on Embarkation day what we wanted stocked in our fridge. We told him no sodas, only wine and premium bottled water. He kept us stocked all week with 1/2 bottles of red and white wine and Evian 16oz glass bottles of water, all at no extra charge, BTW when we first got to the cabin the fridge was empty and after we came back from lunch in Luminae, it was full of the wine and bottled water. He also left us a supply of Pringles and Kind protein bars. 

Edited June 22, 2022 by terrydtx

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

17 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Our last cruise, our Sky Suite Butler asked us when we met him on Embarkation day what we wanted stocked in our fridge. We told him no sodas, only wine and premium bottled water. He kept us stocked all week with 1/2 bottles of red and white wine and Evian 16oz glass bottles of water, all at no extra charge, BTW when we first got to the cabin the fridge was empty and after we came back from lunch in Luminae, it was full of the wine and bottled water. He also left us a supply of Pringles and Kind protein bars. 

 

Fabulous! Thank you!!

[chemmo]

23 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Our last cruise, our Sky Suite Butler asked us when we met him on Embarkation day what we wanted stocked in our fridge. We told him no sodas, only wine and premium bottled water. He kept us stocked all week with 1/2 bottles of red and white wine and Evian 16oz glass bottles of water, all at no extra charge, BTW when we first got to the cabin the fridge was empty and after we came back from lunch in Luminae, it was full of the wine and bottled water. He also left us a supply of Pringles and Kind protein bars. 

So pleased you were so well looked after but for the benefit of….

 

29 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

I just bumped up to a Sky Suite on my February Apex cruise thanks to the no-single-supplement promotion - figured YOLO, might as well go for it!

 

Regarding the water and soda in the fridge - is that something that I could express in advance or would it be better expressed on embarkation day? I'd love it to be stocked with water and Diet Coke in it? It's just me, so I doubt that I'd need it restocked if that was a problem; but it would be nice to have it to begin with if possible.

 

If it's not possible, I can certainly do the water myself - I usually ask for a bottle of water every time I get a drink - but is there somewhere you can ask for cans of soda?

This is not standard…Wine, Pringles and Kind bars are not usually stocked free of charge in Sky Suites. They are not usually provided free of charge in higher suites.
 

WrittenOnYourHeart, if you are contacted by the shoreside concierge pre cruise you can make your request then. However, shoreside concierge service for Sky Suites seems a bit hit and miss. If you do not hear anything pre cruise simply ask your butler on boarding. Hopefully he will be able to sort it for you. If not simply ask him to empty the fridge, if it is not already empty, and each time you leave your room for the first day or so pick up a couple of sodas or waters. Simply ask for them not to be opened.
 

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by chemmo

[Momma Rene]

On 6/15/2022 at 8:05 AM, Tudy said:

I am considering the cost to benefit rate. Suites often cost several thousand more than a veranda. For that amount of money I expect something more, some special treatment. The last couple times I was in a suite I decided that the cost was not justified.

I have to agree.  It was several thousands more.  The cost is not justified.  We are looking for a different line now.  We did not ask for much.  The biggest advantage of the suite was the concierage in Michael's Club.  They were wonderful in helping with dinner reservations and having some cheese put in the room during late afternoon.  The butler could not do either.  Very disappointed.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

2 minutes ago, chemmo said:

So pleased you were so well looked after but for the benefit of….

 

This is not standard…Wine, Pringles and Kind bars are not usually stocked free of charge in Sky Suites. They are not usually provided free of charge in higher suites.
 

WrittenOnYourHeart, if you are contacted by the shoreside concierge pre cruise you can make your request then. However, shoreside concierge service for Sky Suites seems a bit hit and miss. If you do not hear anything pre cruise simply ask your butler on boarding. Hopefully he will be able to sort it for you. If not simply ask him to empty the fridge, if it is not already empty, and each time you leave your room for the first day or so pick up a couple of sodas or waters. Simply ask for them not to be opened.
 

 

 

Thank you!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, Momma Rene said:

I have to agree.  It was several thousands more.  The cost is not justified.  We are looking for a different line now.  We did not ask for much.  The biggest advantage of the suite was the concierage in Michael's Club.  They were wonderful in helping with dinner reservations and having some cheese put in the room during late afternoon.  The butler could not do either.  Very disappointed.

 

Your butler should have been doing all that.  When he/she doesn't, you should let the suite manager know.  If Celebrity doesn't know about a problem, they can't fix it and the next occupant of that cabin gets stuck with that butler who is not willing to do the job.  Talking about it after the cruise on Cruise Critic is not a solution to the problem.

[wrk2cruise]

Just to be clear stocking the mini bar with Soda/Water is not an advertised amenity of Sky or Celebrity suites but it seems has recently been pretty common place for Butlers to offer those with a Beverage Package included.    Those getting beer/wine complimentary as well should just thank their lucky stars.

 

Requesting things that are not advertised amenities via shoreside concierge in my opinion is the quickest way to make a good thing disappear.