Your favorite and/or routine Retreat butler requests?

[richczarnecki]

We haven't cruised in many years and I'm curious what your favorite/regular "special requests" are for your suite butler.  When should we expect to meet our butler or is there a way to call them once onboard?  I assume they can arrange special dining reservations?  What else do you ask your butler to do for you?  Thanks! 

[39august]

If you are in a sky suite, you will have no butler. Otherwise, yes, they can make dining reservations. I used to ask for a cheese plate or shrimp cocktail for later evening snacking.  If you have a butler you should meet him/her on boarding day, and also meet your cabin steward as well. 

[Jim_Iain]

As you may know they no longer have a dedicated butler in Sky Suites.  They have shifted to a Butler Team and you make your request via phone to a Head Butler and they coordinate.  

 

Having said that we travel in CS and RS and am currently in a RS after being in a CS for the first cruise of a B2B.    Even though we have the same butler the level of service is in the RS is much more than in a CS.   

 

Our usual list of request -

 

1. Don't bring any snacks -  I end up eating them even if not hungry.

2.  Extension Cord (but not needed in a RS)

3.  2 Isotopic Pillows

4.  Swap the Bubbly for Chardonnay

 

We have Anu,  one of the best Butler's ever on Edge.   He is just intuitive and knows what we need and surprises us.    First day I brought back some San Pelligrino and he told us we don't need to do that, just call him.    Next day the room was stocked.    We ordered a bar setup and he inquired what he needed for mixer's and was stocked.    We also requested a tea kettle and when he noticed Iain was drinking Teatly British Strength Tea  -  room was stocked with it.  

 

We had a problem in Lumina with them getting a wine Iain likes.   Retreat couldn't find it and Luminae said it wasn't available, even though we knew it was aboard.    That night both had it.  Not an expensive Chardonnay but one he likes.  

 

Tonight we want to go to Fine Cuts and even though it is fully booked he will get us in.

 

BTW our friends were in a Sky Suite and never met the Team Butler  while we met ours within minutes of boarding.   They get a call when an Upper Suite boards and will either meet you at the terminal or your room.   They got nothing standard but every request was promptly taken care of or delivered.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Jim_Iain

[richczarnecki]

I did not know this and we are in a Sunset Sky Suite.  So I guess I have to go searching for a butler . . .

 

Also, what kind of requests can you place through this service?

• Dedicated pre-cruise Retreat Concierge. Call 1-877-RETREAT.

[39august]

I had no luck with calling on Oct. cruise. I just did things  myself, including bringing extra bottled water from the Retreat Lounge. There is also assorted soda if you wish to take back to your cabin. You will only get 2 large bottles of water from your cabin steward daily and will be charged if you ask for extra in the cabin. Do not ask for any alcohol drinks unless you want to pay. Nothing in the cooler is covered. You can ask your room steward to empty that cooler to make room for your preferred stuff. Or do it your self and advise steward where you put it all. Your room steward's name tag will say, "Retreat Host". Don't be fooled. They are cabin stewards and work for housekeeping, not the Retreat. 

[MACruisers]

But according to the new President of Celebrity, this new “Butler” team will enhance service and be better for the guests.  I know she was recently on board one of the ships, she should have stayed in a Sky Suite to see how the experience has been downgraded under her “leadership”. 

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, richczarnecki said:

I did not know this and we are in a Sunset Sky Suite.  So I guess I have to go searching for a butler . . .

Personally, I think that would be a waste of time as they'll only tell you how busy they are and to do whatever you ask yourself or to ask your stateroom attendant/Retreat Concierge or tell you to call Room Service.

[jelayne]

40 minutes ago, 39august said:

I had no luck with calling on Oct. cruise. I just did things  myself, including bringing extra bottled water from the Retreat Lounge. There is also assorted soda if you wish to take back to your cabin. You will only get 2 large bottles of water from your cabin steward daily and will be charged if you ask for extra in the cabin. Do not ask for any alcohol drinks unless you want to pay. Nothing in the cooler is covered. You can ask your room steward to empty that cooler to make room for your preferred stuff. Or do it your self and advise steward where you put it all. Your room steward's name tag will say, "Retreat Host". Don't be fooled. They are cabin stewards and work for housekeeping, not the Retreat. 

The Head Butler came by on boarding day to introduce himself and explain that we should funnel requests through our Retreat Host ( who doesn’t handle making or cancelling reservations, can’t access the systems to see orders, reservations, etc) for and food, coffee, juice, etc we should call room service.
We could get beverages for our suite from the retreat lounge, as the Host would not be restocking the mini bar.   If we needed anything else to  call the Retreat Concierge.  He advised we would probably not see him during the cruise as he is kept quite busy.  He was correct we didn’t see him again.

[someguyfl]

I have had the butler unpack before, which is honestly a really luxurious experience. It's so nice to be able to just immediately go into enjoying the cruise on day one.

The only reason I even thought that this was a reasonable request is because of my (multiple) trips to the Maldives, where the butler assigned to me by the resort would offer to unpack and also to pack.

At the St Regis Maldives, for example, when they packed me up, all of my clothes were pressed and folded with wax paper just like a store would have done for brand new clothes...

I haven't asked Celebrity's butlers to pack me back up, though... but I'd consider doing it in the future.

I've also used the butler to get reservations for sold-out Murano.

In the past, they used to have a service where the butler would, on one night of your chosing, serve you a multi-course dinner on your balcony. IE: he would come and deliver the soup. 20 minutes later, collect the soup and serve the salad. 20 minutes later, collect the salad and serve the (hot) main course. 30 minutes later, the desert. Truly luxurious ... But unfortunately, they don't offer that anymore AFAIK. Maybe they do on the upper suites, but certainly not for Sky suites.

Edited December 11, 2023 by someguyfl

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, someguyfl said:

I have had the butler unpack before, which is honestly a really luxurious experience. It's so nice to be able to just immediately go into enjoying the cruise on day one.

The only reason I even thought that this was a reasonable request is because of my (multiple) trips to the Maldives, where the butler assigned to me by the resort would offer to unpack and also to pack.

At the St Regis Maldives, for example, when they packed me up, all of my clothes were pressed and folded with wax paper just like a store would have done for brand new clothes...

I haven't asked Celebrity's butlers to pack me back up, though... but I'd consider doing it in the future.

I've also used the butler to get reservations for sold-out Murano.

In the past, they used to have a service where the butler would, on one night of your chosing, serve you a multi-course dinner on your balcony. IE: he would come and deliver the soup. 20 minutes later, collect the soup and serve the salad. 20 minutes later, collect the salad and serve the (hot) main course. 30 minutes later, the desert. Truly luxurious ... But unfortunately, they don't offer that anymore AFAIK. Maybe they do on the upper suites, but certainly not for Sky suites.

The Sky Suites don’t have a Butler so you unpack/pack yourself, for in room dining you call Room Service, wait 45 mins+ and your meal will be deliver all at once.  They will set it up but you won’t be served course by course.  

[buncosquad]

2 hours ago, someguyfl said:

I have had the butler unpack before, which is honestly a really luxurious experience. It's so nice to be able to just immediately go into enjoying the cruise on day one.

The only reason I even thought that this was a reasonable request is because of my (multiple) trips to the Maldives, where the butler assigned to me by the resort would offer to unpack and also to pack.

At the St Regis Maldives, for example, when they packed me up, all of my clothes were pressed and folded with wax paper just like a store would have done for brand new clothes...

I haven't asked Celebrity's butlers to pack me back up, though... but I'd consider doing it in the future.

I've also used the butler to get reservations for sold-out Murano.

In the past, they used to have a service where the butler would, on one night of your chosing, serve you a multi-course dinner on your balcony. IE: he would come and deliver the soup. 20 minutes later, collect the soup and serve the salad. 20 minutes later, collect the salad and serve the (hot) main course. 30 minutes later, the desert. Truly luxurious ... But unfortunately, they don't offer that anymore AFAIK. Maybe they do on the upper suites, but certainly not for Sky suites.

I like the St. Regis brand.

 

You'll get good service in Iconic suites or EVs. It's not going to be Mandarin Oriental or Ritz Carlton, but close(r) to those in the EV and particularly the Iconic.

 

I only sail (and have only sailed) Celebrity's ships with ICs and EVs, where I feel the service is adequate and the staterooms quite exceptional. 

 

In any other stateroom type, well, read the reviews from so many others. Sadness.

Edited December 11, 2023 by buncosquad

[billc23]

7 hours ago, buncosquad said:

I like the St. Regis brand.

 

You'll get good service in Iconic suites or EVs. It's not going to be Mandarin Oriental or Ritz Carlton, but close(r) to those in the EV and particularly the Iconic.

Random musings after reading this and other related threads and all my opinion and perspective:

 

Butler requests... First off, the Butler service in the upper suites at the St. Regis in NYC, particularly before it became a Marriott property, is incredible as it is in the upper suites at The Carlyle in NYC. The cruise ship "butler" is not comparable, even in the upper suites, though some are better than others. 

 

Butler requests... I unpack myself because I like to know where my stuff is and then I have all of my wrinkled clothes pressed as needed rather than trying to pack "wrinkle free". I ask for more laundry bags so we can send some stuff out every other day. I request a rotating assortment of Sushi for our afternoon snack - to be coordinated with our excursion schedule. I have them sort out our liquor/mixer preferences if not already taken care of. Morning coffee and food only if we have an early excursion, otherwise I just use our in room machine when I wake up. We don't need to be escorted to dinner but it is nice not to have to go to the theater or retreat lounge to pick up the number for an excursion. Instead, it is delivered to our room and we are escorted off the ship - often directly to the bus if appropriate. We will have in room dining on occasion, maybe once every 2 to 3 weeks,  but prefer to go out to one of the restaurants. Most of these requests are sorted out on day one and we rarely call for a last minute request.

 

Separate from the Butler, the Hotel Director usually asks for a meeting in our suite to discuss anything we would like to make our experience more enjoyable such as special meals, in room parties, and more. Separate from the Butler, many of the crew around the ship address us by name (they are given photos of upper suite guest to learn who they are) and give exceptional service. Yes, there is a hierarchy at the bars, the cafe, and even the retreat lounge and sundeck. 

 

I am not sure but I suspect that Celebrity looks at the value of future bookings (I currently am at a low with 67 days booked) in addition to the current suite status when providing special services. For example, I have never been blocked from using NR OBC in the casino, I have been given permission to bring whiskey on board that the ship does not stock and they have offered to obtain what I desire at a local shop in the port if possible. Yet, even with special services, I do not find that Celebrity compares with luxury lines like Silversea. The luxury cruise line pricing is similar to Celebrities SS pricing, and it goes up from there, but there is not the hierarchy that Celebrity has created. 

 

However, take what I say with a grain of salt if you must because I have not sailed on Celebrity since Sept/Oct 2023 so maybe things have changed. I will find out in January 2024 on the Ascent. 

 

 

 

 

[Bead Pirate]

Just be happy if they use the "magic card" and get you an empty elevator with a direct drop down to disembarkation deck 🙂 on last morning.

[miched]

From our  recent experience we will no longer pay the outrageous prices for a SS.   The little extra touches that the butler provided  are no longer there.    
 

We met the butler on the first day by accident.   We were leaving an our cabin and he was in the hallway.   He said if we wanted anything call or ask the cabin attendant. 
 

The first morning we called for americanos.  It was delivered, but after that we didn’t do it again. Not worth the bother.  
 

We didn’t see the butler again during a 10 day cruise.    We wondered  if he was going to show up on the last night with his hand out.   
 

The benefits of being in the Retreat  and Luminae don’t justify the cost.   We spent very little time in the retreat areas and in Luminae we ordered many nights from the MDR.   
 

I think Luminae on the Edge class is getting to be larger than the 4 MDR dining rooms 

 

We do have some cruises that were previously booked in a SS and are at a good price.  After those if we book any more it will be in a veranda or maybe AQ depending on the price difference 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

[hulamoon]

This explains so much! Just got off the Reflection in a Sky Suite. We met people introduced as butlers but had no idea why the service was so different. We had introductions that were kind and they got us an extension cord and that was it. 

[hulamoon]

3 minutes ago, miched said:

From our  recent experience we will no longer pay the outrageous prices for a SS.   The little extra touches that the butler provided  are no longer there.    
 

We met the butler on the first day by accident.   We were leaving an our cabin and he was in the hallway.   He said if we wanted anything call or ask the cabin attendant. 
 

The first morning we called for americanos.  It was delivered, but after that we didn’t do it again. Not worth the bother.  
 

We didn’t see the butler again during a 10 day cruise.    We wondered  if he was going to show up on the last night with his hand out.   
 

The benefits of being in the Retreat  and Luminae don’t justify the cost.   We spent very little time in the retreat areas and in Luminae we ordered many nights from the MDR.   
 

I think Luminae on the Edge class is getting to be larger than the 4 MDR dining rooms 

 

We do have some cruises that were previously booked in a SS and are at a good price.  After those if we book any more it will be in a veranda or maybe AQ depending on the price difference 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

I have to agree, if the other restaurants are as good then it's a matter of square footage for me. And I do like square footage. But the costs are getting rather high.

[buncosquad]

1 hour ago, billc23 said:

Random musings after reading this and other related threads and all my opinion and perspective:

 

Butler requests... First off, the Butler service in the upper suites at the St. Regis in NYC, particularly before it became a Marriott property, is incredible as it is in the upper suites at The Carlyle in NYC. The cruise ship "butler" is not comparable, even in the upper suites, though some are better than others. 

 

Butler requests... I unpack myself because I like to know where my stuff is and then I have all of my wrinkled clothes pressed as needed rather than trying to pack "wrinkle free". I ask for more laundry bags so we can send some stuff out every other day. I request a rotating assortment of Sushi for our afternoon snack - to be coordinated with our excursion schedule. I have them sort out our liquor/mixer preferences if not already taken care of. Morning coffee and food only if we have an early excursion, otherwise I just use our in room machine when I wake up. We don't need to be escorted to dinner but it is nice not to have to go to the theater or retreat lounge to pick up the number for an excursion. Instead, it is delivered to our room and we are escorted off the ship - often directly to the bus if appropriate. We will have in room dining on occasion, maybe once every 2 to 3 weeks,  but prefer to go out to one of the restaurants. Most of these requests are sorted out on day one and we rarely call for a last minute request.

 

Separate from the Butler, the Hotel Director usually asks for a meeting in our suite to discuss anything we would like to make our experience more enjoyable such as special meals, in room parties, and more. Separate from the Butler, many of the crew around the ship address us by name (they are given photos of upper suite guest to learn who they are) and give exceptional service. Yes, there is a hierarchy at the bars, the cafe, and even the retreat lounge and sundeck. 

 

I am not sure but I suspect that Celebrity looks at the value of future bookings (I currently am at a low with 67 days booked) in addition to the current suite status when providing special services. For example, I have never been blocked from using NR OBC in the casino, I have been given permission to bring whiskey on board that the ship does not stock and they have offered to obtain what I desire at a local shop in the port if possible. Yet, even with special services, I do not find that Celebrity compares with luxury lines like Silversea. The luxury cruise line pricing is similar to Celebrities SS pricing, and it goes up from there, but there is not the hierarchy that Celebrity has created. 

 

However, take what I say with a grain of salt if you must because I have not sailed on Celebrity since Sept/Oct 2023 so maybe things have changed. I will find out in January 2024 on the Ascent. 

 

 

 

 

I'm skipping Celebrity for all of 2024. But, I am back in 2025 for 30+ nights in Iconic suites.

 

Love those views and that balcony hot tub.