Missing Butler Mystery Solved on Spirit

[gcornell]

Currently on the Spirit. Butler went missing for several hours. He was found in an adjacent vacant cabin with the door locked from the inside when Guest Services attempted to move a couple having problems with their original cabin.  Could explain why it took 2 days to get a few diet cokes in my fridge. 🤣  Seriously though the value added is declining IMHO. 

[Catlover54]

Was he in there alone? 

[jollyjones]

Could be wrong, but my first thought is that this guy needs help rather than criticism. 

[difranco]

The butler is a suite attendant wearing dickie bow and tails. They do nothing a standard room attendant and room service can’t deliver. IMHO after past SS cruise experience.

 

 

 

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[bitob]

2 hours ago, difranco said:

The butler is a suite attendant wearing dickie bow and tails. They do nothing a standard room attendant and room service can’t deliver. IMHO after past SS cruise experience.

 

 

 

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I could not disagree more 

we will not cruise without a butler 

a good butler is proactive and takes good care of you. I could regale you with stories about exceptional things butlers have done for us on cruises — things a stateroom attendant would never do or could never do 

if you use your butler as you would a stateroom attendant then you will only have a stateroom attendant in a tux 

[difranco]

12 minutes ago, bitob said:

I could not disagree more 

we will not cruise without a butler 

a good butler is proactive and takes good care of you. I could regale you with stories about exceptional things butlers have done for us on cruises — things a stateroom attendant would never do or could never do 

if you use your butler as you would a stateroom attendant then you will only have a stateroom attendant in a tux 

Unless they go by the name Jeeves and have completed training at the British Butler Academy, they really are punching above their weight.

Edited July 27, 2023 by difranco
Typo

[bitob]

Just now, difranco said:

Unless they go by the name Jeeves and have completed training at the British Butler Academy, they really are punching above their weight.

I’ve had many butlers on cruises who have attended butler academies. I also had a Russian butler who was a butler for the kgb. He was really interesting. 

[difranco]

23 minutes ago, bitob said:

I’ve had many butlers on cruises who have attended butler academies. I also had a Russian butler who was a butler for the kgb. He was really interesting. 

 

Hope it wasn’t our Vlad undercover in his early years !

Edited July 27, 2023 by difranco
Typo

[Dolcevita Diva]

39 minutes ago, bitob said:

 I also had a Russian butler who was a butler for the kgb. He was really interesting. 

Hope that you didn't get too close to the veranda rail...

[Mr Luxury]

16 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Was he in there alone? 

No there was a case of diet coke also.

[Rothko1]

On 7/27/2023 at 11:07 AM, Catlover54 said:

Was he in there alone? 

 

Don't ask questions you might not want to know the answers to.

[Observer]

22 hours ago, difranco said:

The butler is a suite attendant wearing dickie bow and tails. They do nothing a standard room attendant and room service can’t deliver. IMHO after past SS cruise experience.

 

 

 

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My butler on a recent cruise had only recently been promoted from suite attendant.  Apparently, Silversea is having challenges staffing all of its new ships.

[bitob]

There are many cruise lines that promote butlers through the ranks. They do not have the formal training. 
 

Crystal did that. Butlers were glorified stateroom attendants

 

i always ask my butler about his training. Many have been to butler schools, some have worked as butlers in luxury hotels, some get trained by the cruise line. 

[Mark_K]

On Silversea, What Do Butlers…Do?

[Rothko1]

5 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

On Silversea, What Do Butlers…Do?

 

I didn't think about asking them to draw a bath for me...   I always just asked them to scrub my back in the shower.

 

When they say that the butlers will do anything to assist you during the vacation - that's false!!!

 

😜

[Camillus112]

3 hours ago, bitob said:

There are many cruise lines that promote butlers through the ranks. They do not have the formal training. 
 

Crystal did that. Butlers were glorified stateroom attendants

 

 

I enjoyed only two Crystal cruises before its demise.  I was lucky that both butlers were very professional and proactive.  I wonder where they are now.  I have enjoyed around eight SS cruises and had very pleasant butlers but not as professional.  Maybe I got lucky at Crystal.

[difranco]

I tend to travel with my butler who resides in the adjacent suite with inter-connecting door. 
After all, that’s what those suites are for. On embarkation I stand the SS butler down so as not to offend mine. Never had cause for complaint yet.

[Rothko1]

3 minutes ago, difranco said:

I tend to travel with my butler who resides in the adjacent suite with inter-connecting door. 
After all, that’s what those suites are for. On embarkation I stand the SS butler down so as not to offend mine. Never had cause for complaint yet.

 

Don't you make him sleep at the foot of the bed?

[difranco]

1 minute ago, Rothko1 said:

 

Don't you make him sleep at the foot of the bed?

Tried that once before, but tripped over him in the night making for the poorly positioned WC. Ended up in the walk in wardrobe which gave me a great idea for his next billet.

[bitob]

1 hour ago, Camillus112 said:

I enjoyed only two Crystal cruises before its demise.  I was lucky that both butlers were very professional and proactive.  I wonder where they are now.  I have enjoyed around eight SS cruises and had very pleasant butlers but not as professional.  Maybe I got lucky at Crystal.

I’ve had opposite experience. Butlers on regent ss and Oceania professionally trained and excellent   Butlers on crystal just got promoted from stateroom attendant 

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

My wife and I have a long time butler, name of Higgins.  Of an evening, I'll call out "Oh, Higgins - be a good chap and freshen up my G&T, bring me a hassock, & put another piece of oak on the grate, won't you?"  As often as not, my G&T is NOT freshened; I have to do it myself.  After consulting with the Lady Pat, it has come to my attention that Higgins is our imaginary butler.  Imagine that!  "Oh, Higgins!  Would you be so kind as to fetch another Magnum of Dom Perignon from the cellar?  Higgins?? Where IS that man!"

[labrasett]

My butler gets my breakfast at the weekends but he is not quite so attentive during the week, makes the occasional coffee and pours me a glass at wine o'clock but is useless when it comes to laundry and cleaning my shoes.

[Randyk47]

As I recall way back when we first started with Silversea they advertised on their website their butlers were school trained.  I think they even said the schools were in England and India.  Fast forward to our last cruise on the Dawn and our favorite waiter in La Terrazza was all excited he had just passed his butler test.  No explanation of what that consisted of or how he had gotten whatever training he might have gotten.  He said after his upcoming break over the summer he was being assigned to the Nova as a butler.   Super guy and we would love to have him as a butler next April.   

[Texas Tillie]

18 hours ago, bitob said:

There are many cruise lines that promote butlers through the ranks. They do not have the formal training. 
 

Crystal did that. Butlers were glorified stateroom attendants

 

i always ask my butler about his training. Many have been to butler schools, some have worked as butlers in luxury hotels, some get trained by the cruise line. 

 

All I can say is that is not my experience. The only "butler" I've had on Silversea was a young woman who had obviously just been promoted to the job. She was very nice but obviously in over her head. On Crystal I've had butlers who knew what they were doing and knew how to interact with the passengers. No need to respond, we totally disagree on anything to do with Crystal. Enjoy your cruising everywhere but Crystal.

[Rothko1]

12 hours ago, Will Work for Tiramisu said:

My wife and I have a long time butler, name of Higgins.  Of an evening, I'll call out "Oh, Higgins - be a good chap and freshen up my G&T, bring me a hassock, & put another piece of oak on the grate, won't you?"  As often as not, my G&T is NOT freshened; I have to do it myself.  After consulting with the Lady Pat, it has come to my attention that Higgins is our imaginary butler.  Imagine that!  "Oh, Higgins!  Would you be so kind as to fetch another Magnum of Dom Perignon from the cellar?  Higgins?? Where IS that man!"

 

I thought Higgins was in Hawaii...