RoyWalker

We booked a cat 1 suite w/veranda on Celebrity Century. At the risk of sounding pretentious, the suite sounds great. M problem is I'm not sure how to handle the "Butler". What services should I expect the butler to take care of? Should the Btler book our excursions, use of the spa, etc? What should I expect of a quality job from the Butler?

merriem

You do not sound pretentious. We had one too on the Zenith, and frankly he didn't do much. I felt like it was one more person to tip. We only saw him in the afternoon when he brought us little desserts....that was about it. I think it is not really needed, but you get them anyway. With a good room steward, you really don't need a butler...

David

Roy- I just returned 3 weeks ago from sailing on the CENTURY. We took the 10 night western mediterranean cruise. First off, the CENTURY is a wonderful ship. We also had Cat. 1 Suite that of course came with a butler. Our butler was fantastic and we were glad to have his assistance. He picked up our laundry, he brought room service, offered to arrange our shore excursions, spa reservations and even took our tux to the ships tailor to lengthen the pants! My glasses broke and he even arranged to have my glasses repaired. We hosted several parties in our suite and he arranged for hor d'ouevres, opened the champagne and was extremely helpful in every way. He resolved several "minor emergencies"!!! We are now spoiled and hope to receive equal service on our next sailing. Your butler will bring you tea every afternoon (if you like), as well as hor d'ouevres each evening. He is not pretentious and wants to help you in any way can. If you bring your own wine, your butler will take it to the dining room and have your wine steward open it and have it waiting for you at your table. Your butler will also assit in making any alternative dining arrangements. (you may like to dine in the sky bar restaurant one night) <BR>Your butler is a professional who is most likely working to support his family at home. Please remember that the tipping suggestions given by celebrity are low. Although we were very generous with our graturity, you should consider more than the recommended amount. <BR>If you do take your own wine, please remember to tip your wine steward at the end of your cruise. Your wine stewart receives 15% of any wine purchased, however you are only charged an $8.00 corkage fee to open your wine. (you can see that 15% of $8.00 is not enough) At any rate, our wine steward was also wonderful and provided us excellent service throughout our cruise. <BR>You will also love your veranda. We spent a lot of time on it. It is great to go out in the evening to see stars, or early in the morning when pulling into port. <BR>If you are a cigar smoker or not be sure to have a drink in Michaels. Also be sure to ask your cabin steward(ess) if you want anything like extra towels. You will have extra pillows in your closet. The bath amenities are very nice and it is nice to have a spa tub on a ship! The water pressure is very strong which makes for a great shower! <BR>We found everything on the CENTURY to be very nice. The food is very good and only had one lunch which was not that great. Pick the later seating for dinner. You should have a table number in your suite upon arrival. If you don't, get to the dining room, or better yet, send your butler!!! <BR>There are several options for eating breakfast and lunch. Of course you can have it in your suite. You can eat in Islands cafe (buffet style) or the dining room on an "open seating" basis. Eat in the dining room for breakfast and lunch at least a few times. <BR>Because you are in a suite, you will have priority embarkation. YOU MUST TELL THEM AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVE TO RECEIVE THE CORRECT BOARDING CARD (should be zero (0)) Boarding takes place at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours BEFORE the published time. Don't eat before going because they have a great buffet waiting when you arrive. <BR>Just one more thing to mention....the ATM never worked, so if you need cash you will need to get it from the casino cashier. <BR>Sorry I was so long, but I hope this information can assist you. Have a Wonderful cruise on a fantastic ship! The CENTURY is a jewel

sammie

Great answer - I appreciated the detail. Thanks

larry

David, thanks for the great reply to the original post. makes me want to take the century! Great information.

Roy Walker

David, Thank you very much for the response and details of your experience on board Century. We are looking forward to a great vacation on a great ship.