12 Ideas For What To Ask Your Cruise Butler – and How to Tip

If you’re planning a cruise in a suite, you might want to consider taking advantage of their butler service. Cruise butlers will pamper you like no other. But you may be wondering what to ask your cruise butler to do for you.

Let me tell you, they can do a whole lot! We’ve been on many cruises and stayed in suites, and we’ve truly appreciated what our butlers have done for us.

Our butlers have worked with our concierge team to decorate our cabin for birthdays and anniversaries. They have brought breakfast and dinner to our cabin, setting up a beautiful table for us. They have delivered champagne every day, plus orange juice to make mimosas. Sometimes they will bring fresh flowers to your cabin, especially on occasions like Valentine’s Day.

If you let them know your preferences, your cruise butler will make sure that you want for nothing on your cruise. It’s true bliss!

Your Suite Team

Rather than just your cruise butler to help you, you’ll have a team when you stay in a suite, each with different responsibilities. So, let’s go over that first.

1 | Your butler: In conjunction with your stateroom steward, your butler sets up your suite on embarkation day. On an ongoing basis, the butler:

• stocks your minibar
• brings you trays of afternoon canapés each day
• takes away your empty dishes or glasses
• brings you sparkling wine
• restocks your coffee and tea needs
• delivers your room service and sets your table for dining
• facilitates laundry, dry cleaning, garment pressing, or shoe-shine needs
• delivers your daily newsletter and other mail, such as invitations to cocktail parties or reminders of dinner reservations

2 | Your stateroom steward: Basically, anything to do with your cabin, your stateroom steward will handle for you. Your stateroom steward:

• makes your bed
• does your turn-down service each night
• tidies your cabin and bathroom
• brings you towels
• brings you extra clothes hangers or towels if needed
• provides a mattress topper if needed
• switches out your pillows if needed
• provides an extension cord for your CPAP machine if needed

Pro Tip: Remember, your butler and stateroom attendant have other passengers to help as well. Be patient, and be sure to tip according to how much extra service you’ve requested. They will truly appreciate it.

3 | Your concierges: This team of two or three crew members is responsible for helping with reservations such as for dinners or excursions. They’ll also escort you for priority embarkation and disembarkation, tendering, or priority seating at a show. If there’s a problem with your bill, go to your concierge and they’ll help you with it. If you need a new key card, ask them for help. If you have questions about a destination, your concierges are experts.

What Can Your Cruise Butler Do For You?

Your butler is there to cater to your every need. Either call them or leave them notes for when you need something special.

Pro Tip: Write out ahead of time any preferences or special requests you might have for your butler, and include your name and suite number. Give this to your butler on embarkation day.

Some examples of things that a cruise butler might be asked to do:

1. Bring a throw to keep you warm on your balcony
2. Empty the mini fridge of any items for sale
3. Assist with unpacking
4. Serve you breakfast in bed
5. Arrange a special in-room dinner for your anniversary or birthday
6. Provide orange juice to go with your sparkling wine
7. Bring a treat like shrimp cocktails to your cabin every afternoon
8. Deliver soup or hot tea if you’re not feeling well
9. Bring you something to help with seasickness
10. Help you plan a movie night in your suite
11. Arrange a party in your suite
12. Deliver a late-night snack if you know you’ll be out until the wee hours

But perhaps the best thing about having a butler at your service is the level of personalized service they provide. Your butler will get to know your preferences and will be there to anticipate your needs and make sure you have the best possible experience onboard. If you have a request that’s outside their purview, they’ll know who to ask for you.

Pro Tip: Be sure to tell your butler if you have a special celebration like an anniversary or birthday while onboard. They will make it extra special for you.

How Much to Tip Your Cruise Butler

Tipping is at your discretion, especially if room gratuities are included in your cruise cost or have already been paid separately. However, based on the information I’ve gleaned from online cruise forums and my own personal experience, most cruisers will tip their butler extra, depending on the level of service provided.

When to tip is always the next question. Some cruisers will give their butler an incentive tip at the beginning of the cruise, then base on actual service as to how much to tip at the end of the cruise. Others only tip at the end of the cruise.

How much extra to tip depends on your financial circumstances, how much you used your butler’s services, and how efficient and professional your butler was. An average range might be between $10.00 to $20.00 per day of the cruise.

What If Having A Butler Makes You Feel Uncomfortable?

We’ve been in your shoes. Having a butler is an extravagance that most of us will never experience…except possibly on a cruise ship. But to be honest, it doesn’t take long to get used to having a butler attend to your every need. And you’ll probably miss your butler terribly when you go home.

Final Thoughts On What To Ask Your Cruise butler

Of course, all of this luxury doesn’t come cheap—cruise butlers are available exclusively to guests staying in the ship’s exclusive upscale area. But if you’re looking to indulge a little on your vacation, a suite with a butler is worth considering.

So, there you have it, everything you need to know about cruise butlers. If you’re planning a cruise and want to add a little extra pampering to your trip, be sure to look into staying in a suite. The included butler service will surely enhance your experience.

Happy cruising!