Mercury RS butlers?

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Oh dear . . . I just read a very recent post about a disastrous butler in a Mercury Royal Suite. :( We'll be onboard in two weeks and this is NOT what I wanted to hear!! This will be our fifth cruise overall but our first with Celebrity and our first with a butler. We are not particularly 'high maintenance' types, but at the same time, the RS did not come cheap and I would like to think that the few requests I plan on making of him/her will not just bring me grief.

 

By nature I'm a pretty friendly, easy-going, glass-half-full type, so I really doubt I would do anything to annoy our butler. No kids, not an upgrade situation, none of the situations that seem to annoy butlers. I'd just like to know in advance if I should plan on actually using his/her services or not.

 

Anyway, we're in RS 1029, the farthest forward on the port side, on the May 26th sailing. If anybody can give me any information, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

And happy Mother's Day. :)

[DaveFr]

My wife and I were in RS 1045 on the Mercury last October. We had an excellent butler named Zenobio. Don't worry about one negative report. You'll have a great time and your butler, whomever he or she is, will enhance your cruise. Just be yourself and everything will be fine.

 

I couldn't find any very recent messages about a poor butler on the Mercury. Were you referring to the message from Cruiselover20 about an allegedly horrible butler he or she had? If so, take a look at the message from Barbie43 in http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=346208. She had the same butler on the same cruise as Cruiselover20 and thought he was wonderful.

[digitaldan1]

Hello la_croisiere_s'amuse,

 

my wife and I will be in a RS this fall on the Mercury and would love to know how your experience turns out.

 

I'm with the previous poster though, I wouldn't let one bad review worry you. I've lost track of the number of times I've seen a negative post regarding a ship I was going to sail on turn out to be just hot air.

 

Dan

[cruiselover20]

My wife and I were in RS 1045 on the Mercury last October. We had an excellent butler named Zenobio. Don't worry about one negative report. You'll have a great time and your butler, whomever he or she is, will enhance your cruise. Just be yourself and everything will be fine.

 

I couldn't find any very recent messages about a poor butler on the Mercury. Were you referring to the message from Cruiselover20 about an allegedly horrible butler he or she had? If so, take a look at the message from Barbie43 in http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=346208. She had the same butler on the same cruise as Cruiselover20 and thought he was wonderful.

 

Well, Dave, he was horrible, and that is 100% accurate. Maybe we should have been more demanding, but our butlers before have always offered. Isn't that the way it should be.

[Andy&Mary]

Well, Dave, he was horrible, and that is 100% accurate. Maybe we should have been more demanding, but our butlers before have always offered. Isn't that the way it should be.

 

 

hmmm... I'm not sure how a butler is supposed to read your mind and "offer" things that you have not requested (???)

 

We have stayed in suites both times we cruised with Celebrity and we had great butlers (I think we even had the same Arles that is referred to in the other post). We had a tux exchange coordinated (wrong size), always had fresh fruit, specialty restaurant reservations organized, afternoon hors d'ouevres exchanged for our favorites, and other minor things. The only thing he would not do was make us a packed lunch to take on our private fishing charter as taking food off the ship was against the ship's regulations (totally understandable). I admit, we didn't make any major demands of the butlers, but we take care of ourselves and did not need other assistance :)

 

La croisiere, when I started checking these boards again to plan for our next 2 cruises, I started to get scared by what seems to be a lot of complaining and bad reviews. I have come to think that some people will never be pleased and these forums give them a chance to "vent". If you make reasonable requests, the cruise line, butler, and all of the crew will make every attempt to make your cruise great! Have fun!

 

mary

[Skeezics]

Well, Dave, he was horrible, and that is 100% accurate. Maybe we should have been more demanding, but our butlers before have always offered. Isn't that the way it should be.

 

 

 

Maybe to key to the senerio is "demanding". "Asking" seems a bit more pleasant.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Thanks everybody for your reassuring words. :)

 

Dave, this is the thread in question. Post number 5 is the one that mentions Mercury Royal Suites:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=324436&highlight=butler

 

I suppose 'recent' is a relative term -- this was from last month, but I meant 'recent' in the sense that butlers have probably not been switched in the interim.

 

Dan and Mary, I'm sure you're right. I think I'm a bit more prone to panic than I usually am, because we're also bringing my little brother and his wife, who just lost their only child to a brain tumor. :( Nothing will ever make that right, but I really really REALLY want to give them an unforgettable week.

 

I'd still be curious to hear from anybody else with recent Mercury butler experience . . .

[cechase]

We were on Mercury for the 11 night cruise out of San Diego on 1/2/2006. We were in RS 1024 which the most forward of the Royal Suites on the starboard side.

 

Our butler was Stanley and he was just great. Stanley along with Ingrida and her asst. made a wonderful, marvelous team that made our cruise extra special. Since you are on the port side, you will have a different butler.

 

However, we have had five butlers in the past two years, and they have been from very good to outstanding. When you first meet your butler, we would suggest you do so with a smile and friendliness, and if you are unsure of what services he will provide, again ask. It certainly does not hurt to inquire about his home land, his family, approach him as a friend who is there to make your cruise just that much better.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Thanks Charlie! :)

 

As far as showing interest in crew members as individuals . . . I couldn't agree more. Not only because they deserve the respect (and because you tend to get better service), I also enjoy learning a bit about cultures I might not be familiar with. I usually try to learn a phrase or two in their native language, as well. Lots of fun and very educational. :)

 

I know that some CC'ers argue that trying to be 'buddy buddy' with service staff is a bad idea: counterproductive, insulting, or just plain low class. While I can see that overstepping boundaries could cause problems -- I certainly don't advocate confiding your marriage woes to your steward :D -- I firmly believe that treating EVERY person in our spheres of contact with friendly respect is just a win/win approach. If that makes me 'low class,' then so be it.

 

Okay, off my soap box now. :D