From butlers, concierges and other luxuries

[travelberlin]

I have to admit that at my last cruise with Crystal, I did not interact very much with my butler. I have had all my meals and snacks outside my cabin. I have only drank water in my cabin having my alcohol consumption at the bars. 
 

I have interacted several times with my cabin attendant but I have not requested anything from the butler.

This happens to me each time when we have a cabin with butlers with the exception of the MSC Yacht Club in which our butlers play a very important role for example being the ones who serve us at the Yacht Club lounge, bringing to our room our daily newspaper, accompanying us out of the ship at debarkation, helping us with our luggage, etc. 
 

Could you please give some tips how to make use of the service of the Butlers at the Crystal ships?

 

Please also some tips what the concierge is supposed to do? I have tried to book some taxi or private transfer at the debarkation port, but apparently this the concierge does not do. Is the role that of a guest relations manager? Or is there a proper guest relations manager onboard. 
 

Ivi

 

[Keith1010]

Ivi, 

 

Some thoughts on the Butlers.

How you want your refrigerator stocked as well as the type of fruit you want in your room.  Specialty Restaurant Reservations.  Cancellation of Shore Excursions. Sending a bottle of wine or champagne that you bought ashore to the dining venue.  Suggestions on what to do in a port. Many of the butlers have been around and can offer tips such as what to do in a port or maybe even where to go to eat.  

 

We do eat breakfast in our room, some lunches and an occasional dinner and the butler arranges this for us.

 

If you want a Crystal transfer at the port of debarkation the Concierge will take care of this. This includes group or private Crystal Transfer.  If you want advice for a port many of them can help you with that.  They can assist with restaurant reservations.   I have seen them assist guests with printing out boarding passes (I do this myself in the computer university and there have been times where I have seen them call an airline for a guest.  They can assist with use luggage forward to send luggage home.   In general it would be similar to a hotel. 

 

For a taxi at debarkation they can tell you if taxis are plentiful.  For a private transfer I've never had them do this because we do this way before the trip begins if we are not using a Crystal transfer and either I do this on my own or my TA's assistant does.

Keith
 

[travelberlin]

Thanks Keith for your answer. Being my cabin just a solo cabin, I prefer to have meals outside the room. In relation to providing information in my case of course, I am talking about a junior butler. I am not sure how much he or she knows about port of debarkation and others. 

 

Is it possible at Crystal to request a newspaper to be delivered to your room? Something like the photo below? Could the butler iron some clothes?

 

Ivi
 

 

 

[Keith1010]

The butler does not iron clothes.  
 

they can unpack and pack though. 
 

Keith

[Cruise-y]

Remember if you are in a top exclusive suite, there may be a butler for every 2 or 4 cabins. He/She can give you attentive service. When I was in a Sapphire suite (on a full ship), my (super wonderful) butler had around 8 cabins. On deck 7, I assume the junior butlers have even more. If everyone wants room service on the same night, the butler is going to be overwhelmed. He/She can't pack everyone's suitcase and change reservations and check on shore excursions and deliver course-by-course room service to everyone at the same time. I know the "butler service" is something we all want to enjoy, but there is a reality to it as well.  Not trying to be a downer here, just trying to establish some realistic expectations. We only had room service one night, and that was burgers and fries, which were delivered hard and cold because there was a long queue. Not the butler's fault at all, just reality. He rushed in as fast as he could to set up our table and deliver, but others were also waiting. Love Crystal, but we are happily independent and don't rely on the butler for everything.

Edited March 1 by Cruise-y

[Keith1010]

22 minutes ago, Cruise-y said:

Remember if you are in a top exclusive suite, there may be a butler for every 2 or 4 cabins. He/She can give you attentive service. When I was in a Sapphire suite (on a full ship), my (super wonderful) butler had around 8 cabins. On deck 7, I assume the junior butlers have even more. If everyone wants room service on the same night, the butler is going to be overwhelmed. He/She can't pack everyone's suitcase and change reservations and check on shore excursions and deliver course-by-course room service to everyone at the same time. I know the "butler service" is something we all want to enjoy, but there is a reality to it as well.  Not trying to be a downer here, just trying to establish some realistic expectations. We only had room service one night, and that was burgers and fries, which were delivered hard and cold because there was a long queue. Not the butler's fault at all, just reality. He rushed in as fast as he could to set up our table and deliver, but others were also waiting. Love Crystal, but we are happily independent and don't rely on the butler for everything.

I just want to note that the butlers all have a lot of suites to take care of including those who take care of CP's.  I've always been amazed how many rooms they can take care of. They do have teams and they do help each other out.  If more people wanted room service at a particular time they would help one another out. Overall it usually works out but in the case of your food it obviously didn't.  

 

We try to provide the butler long lead times. For example, if we know on x night we want to have dinner in the room we let them know one or more days ahead of time and usually provide a list of what we would like that morning. I realize some people call that very moment asking if they can have x meal in a few minutes.  😀

 

But as you note things can happen.  They do have personnel (I can't remember the name but it is an unusual name) who actually get the food from the cold galley where the room service food is prepared up to the respective floors.

 

But just like any type of service if everyone wants something at the same moment you can't staff for that. Same goes for our own highways. If everyone tries to use it all at once it doesn't work or in the days of land lines if everyone picked up their telephone at the same time it would crash the local telephone switches.

 

Overall, my experience with the butlers is they are the best I've experienced on any line.  But certainly some are strong than others which is true of every position on and off ships.

 

Keith 

[travelberlin]

Thanks Keith and Cruise-y. I have seen some good tips were given about what to expect from a butler on the Silversea board. Someone asked a similar question there. I have liked the answer from someone who said butlers are supposed to be problem solvers. 
 

Ivi

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

5 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I have liked the answer from someone who said butlers are supposed to be problem solvers.

 

Fortunately, there are few problems that I have encountered while on many Crystal cruises.

 

 

[Keith1010]

6 hours ago, travelberlin said:

Thanks Keith and Cruise-y. I have seen some good tips were given about what to expect from a butler on the Silversea board. Someone asked a similar question there. I have liked the answer from someone who said butlers are supposed to be problem solvers. 
 

Ivi

 

 

Ivi a good reminder.  I have found that the butlers we have had over the years are a good go to person to get something resolved  including those not in their area of responsibility.

 

Keith

[Cruise-y]

The Crystal butlers are great, there is no denying. But I can run down to (or call) the shore excursion desk to ask a question faster than I can summon my busy butler to ask the same question and wait for him to get back to me. I can do the same with the reservation desk. Maybe I’m too independent but I prefer a faster response with no middle man. 

[PaulMCO]

Ivi... some uses for a butler...

 

1. Fruit and replenishment.  Butler can make sure you get what you want daily without wasting those you don't need/like.

2.  My wife is a diabetic so our butler makes sure she gets a cheese plate each evening for the late night sugar dips.

3. Ever need a garment mended, lose a button, the butler can get it repaired

4. Of course there is the room service.  We do not use this much but after a long day of excursion - maybe.  Canapes in the afternoon sometimes.

5. Extra Reservations for Umi -- the butler can do it.

6. They do keep the refrigerator stocked with the drinks you want.

7. Special needs.  My DW forgot her cane at home -- the butler found one that she used during the trip.

8. They handle your laundry and pressing requests.

9. Birthdays and special events -- the butler arranged for the cake and the decorations with the suite attendant.

10.  Gossip -- yes the butler would be the person to ask  🙂

Edited March 5 by PaulMCO

[Keith1010]

23 hours ago, Cruise-y said:

The Crystal butlers are great, there is no denying. But I can run down to (or call) the shore excursion desk to ask a question faster than I can summon my busy butler to ask the same question and wait for him to get back to me. I can do the same with the reservation desk. Maybe I’m too independent but I prefer a faster response with no middle man. 

I would do the same but there are some people who have them take care of this just like there are some people who have them unpack and/or pack for them. While we've never had them do packing/unpacking I know some people who ask the butler to do this.

 

Keith

[travelberlin]

Does anybody know who the guest relations managers are on the Serenity and on the Symphony? Are they the same as the concierges?

[Keith1010]

1 hour ago, travelberlin said:

Does anybody know who the guest relations managers are on the Serenity and on the Symphony? Are they the same as the concierges?

Ivi, to better direct you what type of assistance would you be needing?

Keith

[Stickman1990]

1 hour ago, travelberlin said:

Does anybody know who the guest relations managers are on the Serenity and on the Symphony? Are they the same as the concierges?

Ivi - you could try this email address - guestrelations@crystalcruises.com

[travelberlin]

Thanks very much Keith and Terry. I don’t have a particular problem or issue. It is more that I am trying to clarify roles. On other cruise lines in which I have sailed, the concierge is clearly performing concierge tasks like booking transfer reservations, booking restaurants on ports of calls and similar. He/she has also a special desk and is not at the front guest relations desk.
 

The guest relations manager on the other hand, handles everything that the guests might have as a concern and it has an office behind the guest relations front desk.

 

When I was at the Serenity, I had some questions and requests and I have approached the front desk. The friendly people standing there were either new or have not completed their training and did not know much. They kept asking or directing me to a lady, who I assumed was the guest relations manager. However later on, I have realized she was the concierge.

 

This is why I am asking the question. Is there a guest relations manager on the ships or is the concierge at the same time the guest relations manager?

 

Ivi

[Stickman1990]

7 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

On other cruise lines in which I have sailed, the concierge is clearly performing concierge tasks like booking transfer reservations, booking restaurants on ports of calls and similar. He/she has also a special desk and is not at the front guest relations desk.
 

The guest relations manager on the other hand, handles everything that the guests might have as a concern and it has an office behind the guest relations front desk.

 

This is why I am asking the question. Is there a guest relations manager on the ships or is the concierge at the same time the guest relations manager?

Good question - depending on the issue my first stop would be the front desk but often they’ll need to talk the relevant department - but if it related to a particular issue eg food and beverage or housekeeping or bars I’d talk to the relevant department head directly or ask the front desk have them contact me. I can’t think of an equivalent of a specific onboard Guest Relations Manager on Crystal but I’ve come across that role/designation on another line

 

I very rarely use the concierge’s service as I have limited use for things like onshore bookings or other arrangements that they handle

 

Some might start at the top with the Hotel Director but my preference is to not to do that 

[Keith1010]

8 hours ago, travelberlin said:

Thanks very much Keith and Terry. I don’t have a particular problem or issue. It is more that I am trying to clarify roles. On other cruise lines in which I have sailed, the concierge is clearly performing concierge tasks like booking transfer reservations, booking restaurants on ports of calls and similar. He/she has also a special desk and is not at the front guest relations desk.
 

The guest relations manager on the other hand, handles everything that the guests might have as a concern and it has an office behind the guest relations front desk.

 

When I was at the Serenity, I had some questions and requests and I have approached the front desk. The friendly people standing there were either new or have not completed their training and did not know much. They kept asking or directing me to a lady, who I assumed was the guest relations manager. However later on, I have realized she was the concierge.

 

This is why I am asking the question. Is there a guest relations manager on the ships or is the concierge at the same time the guest relations manager?

 

Ivi

There is a front office manager who oversees a variety of items including the front desk. 

 

In the majority of cases the concierge or chief concierge's background has included working at the reception desk so often they are able to assist newer members of the front desk with questions or issues they cannot assist with and in the vast majority of cases they can do just that.  If they can't  you could ask if they could ask the front office manager if they can help you with they issue you have.

 

Keith