Butler service

[Susan07470]

Just received the new brochure. All 2010 cruises will include butler service in all suites.

[duct tape]

Kinda, sorta.

[wripro]

A little more kinda, a little less sorta! IMO butlers for everyone is just a marketing gimmick. What can they do that your suite attendant and room service can't?

[dougburns]

I agree. We've had butlers and found them to be nothing more than glorified room stewards. One might luck out from time to time and get a professional butler, but overall, give me a good room stewardess any day.

[Susan07470]

Packing and unpacking sounds great to me. Other than that our room stewardess have been delightful. Our rose petal bath on Seabourn was great.

[duct tape]

So how many people can they unpack for?????????

[conchyjoe]

I agree; this is a valueless gimick. Our steward/stewardess has always been excellent and we could have asked no more of them. As regards unpacking, I'm not sure my DW would appreciate somebody going through her suitcase.

 

Having a Butler sounds like it could be entertaining however ..... "Sanjay, I need a 3/64 screw to replace the one that just fell out of my glasses ... can you find one please ?"

 

(I'm only kidding)

[ging466]

Packing and unpacking sounds great to me. Other than that our room stewardess have been delightful. Our rose petal bath on Seabourn was great.

 

 

:eek: I don't like anyone touching my stuff!

 

I do like the idea of a rose petal bath though:)

 

Cheers

ging466

[wripro]

The reason they offer packing and unpacking is that they know most people don't want anyone touching their luggage. I can see the value of a dedicated butler on mass market ships where he normal service is far below what everyone gets on SS. Here though, the normal service provides anything one could ask for.

[meow!]

For Silversea, it is just a change of job title for the lead cabin attendant. Half a century ago, a "manager" is a rather senior position. With janitors becoming custodians and then superintendents, now salesmen and attendants are "service managers". (This is true the world over.) Titles are all inflated, such as "first senior chief executive vice president". Do you see any "junior assistant service trainee" anywhere any more?

 

P.S. Cabin attendants, after working for a year or two with Silversea, can then put on their resume "professional butler with Silversea" and get another promotion with another line!

[DebbieH103]

We will definitely use the packing and unpacking. We've had land trips with butlers and always use that service when included.

[wripro]

Good for you, Debbie, for using it. I bet though, you will be in the minority. Will you watch as they unpack so you know where they put everything?

[njguy_south]

I don't think any of you fully understand the use of the term butler. He or she is not simply a cabin steward/stewardess who has 2 years of experience. They are trained as butlers. Believe me an ultra-luxury line like Silversea would never attempt to call a steward a butler if they had nt been trained as such.

 

A butler can and will do far more for you than unpack or pack.

[TLCOhio]

They are trained as butlers. Believe me an ultra-luxury line like Silversea would never attempt to call a steward a butler if they had nt been trained as such. A butler can and will do far more for you than unpack or pack.

 

What's your sense, njguy_south, of what else this "butler" will do in addition to offering to unpack us, plus the usual steward/stewardess duties? We are planning for a July 1-16, 2010 Norway Coast cruise as our first trip with Silversea. Trying to figure out this promised, added service improvement. What does it really mean . . . and deliver in tangible customer benefits? It is hard to image that these new personnel will be trained that well to offer counsel on shore experiences, have that level of skills to help order special dinner options, etc. Looking forward to hearing and learning more detailed specifics.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[DebbieH103]

NJGuy_south, I fully understand.

 

Wripro, I could care less where they put things. On land trips, we don't watch, and we find everything. It is always crisp, and the packing is fabulous, shoes in tissue, etc. Really, how many places are there to find things in a cabin?

 

It will be important to me to do an honest report of this, but it will be, of course, based on my opinions. What is important to us will be exactly what NJGuy_south described. This is exactly what I thought of when I was on Regent at Christmas and everyone acted like something or other wasn't their responsibility so I always had to go to the concierge. This ship will be bigger, so I expect a few more minor issues than the smaller ships (and we have had a few on them, too). Let these people chase that business.

[Kununoppin]

Took a quick nap after reading about butler and other luxuries on SS. Dreamed that my cabin was filled with designer handbags provided by SS for my use. Now that's a service I'm waiting for!!!! :D

[Wellseasoned]

We are currently aboard Silver Shadow, sailing on a glorious day toward San Francisco. I asked our suite stewardess about the upcoming butlers, and she said that she will be a butler after her return from her upcoming vacation.

 

On board, we received the premier issue of the new "The Venetian" magazine, very glossy, which mentions the new butler service and says that "our butlers come from some of the world's finest hotels and grandest homes."

 

So, there appears to be a bit of discordance. Time will soon tell.

[cmhmarine]

I have to admire the "flair" that silversea uses in their marketing, that has to be the Italian heritage smiling through.:D

[wripro]

So the stewardess will become the butler. Performing the exact same things in a different uniform, except for packing and unpacking. For anyone who believes these are actually professionally trained butlers who are specifically assigned to just "buttle" I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in buying.

[Keith1010]

If this is correct that the stewardess will be called the butler this is a very big mistake in my humble opinion.

 

Many of those who cruise on Silversea know have had butlers on other cruise lines. And when I say a bulter a person who has been trained and provides butler service to a set of specific rooms.

 

So, this sets a false expectation of what to expect on a Silversea cruise. Folks will expect both a stewardess and a butler.

 

While we have had butler service on certain lines and really do enjoy it there are some cruise lines where IMHO a butler is not needed and to me Silversea is one of them. We were well taken care of on our first Silversea cruise by both the stewardess and the assistant stewardess. If the number of rooms they are going to service will not change and the stewardess will now perform butler functions I wonder how this will work. Seems that their responsibilities will increase.

 

Will be interested to hear from those who have sailed Silversea previously and then sail again with this new program in place.

 

Keith

[dwelsh]

Just a quick thought on "promoting" cabin attendants to "Butlers."

 

I wonder if the line will be rewarding these people with higher wages to compensate for their" promotions.":confused:

[wripro]

Keith,

 

Again, you are talking about dedicated butlers. This will not be the situation on SS. Otherwise there wold not be a difference in the duties the butler performs between regular suites and the Grand, Royal and Owner's suites where they really do have dedicated butlers.

 

This whole marketing gimmick reminds me of the advertising program before the QM2 debuted....photos of women in ball gowns doing their house work, so hyped up they couldn't wait to dress formally. Of course, the reality on board the QM2 is quite different because the level of service and formality did not reflect the image Cunard wanted to project. The same goes for butlers in every suite. Just ask passengers on Azamara.

[Keith1010]

wripro, I agree with you. That is why it is silly to me that they are going with the approach of bulters. Isn't that what Azamara does? The problem is those who have cruiised on luxury lines with a butler know what a true butler does and this will set expectations that cannot be met.

 

Keith

[CatServants]

My expectations for "butler service" on Silversea (other than the grand/owner's suites with true dedicated butlers) is that it won't be any different than the "butler service" we got on Celebrity. I.e., one butler is "shared" between 5-10 cabins, and somebody else has to cover for him/her when they are on break. Basically, to us it was just like having a designated room service attendant.

 

Of course, somebody does still have to clean the cabins, so if you aren't increasing the crew staffing (which I can't imagine that Silversea is in today's economic climate), then "conservation of work/labor" means that it's just being spread around differently across the same set of people, only with more specialized job titles (plus the added work of some packing/unpacking for a few guests). It will be interesting to see how it works in practice, but my first thought is that it's just an unnecessary complication.

[Keith1010]

My expectations for "butler service" on Silversea (other than the grand/owner's suites with true dedicated butlers) is that it won't be any different than the "butler service" we got on Celebrity. I.e., one butler is "shared" between 5-10 cabins, and somebody else has to cover for him/her when they are on break. Basically, to us it was just like having a designated room service attendant.

 

Of course, somebody does still have to clean the cabins, so if you aren't increasing the crew staffing (which I can't imagine that Silversea is in today's economic climate), then "conservation of work/labor" means that it's just being spread around differently across the same set of people, only with more specialized job titles (plus the added work of some packing/unpacking for a few guests). It will be interesting to see how it works in practice, but my first thought is that it's just an unnecessary complication.

 

We actually had some excellent butlers on Celebrity when we sailed with them. In fact on our last Celebrity cruise the butler we had for the Penthouse suite (he supported several other suites) was one of the best we have ever had on any cruise line. On Celebrity there are dedicated butlers who as you noted are responsible for several suites. They are in addition to stewardesses. This is not what is now being mentioned. What we're hearing is that they will be stewardesses with some increase responsibility. If correct, this is not the same as those lines who have dedicated Butlers and more like Azamara.

 

Keith