NCL Butler Experi

[pixiedustdawn]

I have to say NCL's Concierge and Butlers are all outstanding!

 

I have had Kadek as a butler on the Gem and received nothing but superior service every time. He knows exactly what my family wants and has gone above and beyond what my expectations were. I find it amazing how he remembers exactly what we like year after year!!

 

It is so nice to be treated special and Kadek definitely knows his job well!

 

Dawn

[HowardK]

Hi,

 

We are hoping to hear of everyone's experience with their NCL Butler...

 

What are some surprises your Butler has done for you?

 

What are some reuests that you have had for your Butler?

 

What do they typically do? Anything they can not do? What would be the standard gratuity for an NCL Butler?

 

Stacey

 

Are their gratuities included in the $12 a day charges or more?

[kanitter]

I'm afraid I'll have to argue with all of you. Fernando on the Sun is the best butler!:D And the conceirge Karin was fantastic! We really didn't ask Fernando for much but it seemed as if he was always there whenever we did think of something. I think he was a mindreader. :rolleyes: I had asked for the anniversary package on oct 11th last year as a surprise for my dh for our 30th anniversary. Fernando said he would take care of it. We returned after dinner and the whole living room had streamers and balloons all over the place. And there was a huge decorated chocolate cake. He knew my dd had to eat gluten free so he made sure the cake was gluten free. It was delicious. Whenever he brought snacks he always made sure he brought something she could eat too, even though she wasn't booked in our cabin. Her roommate loved the chocolate chip cookies so more often than not those would also be included. I mean the man was an angel. And it seemed as if Karin went out of her way to include my dd and her friend in everything that she could. There was usually only about a dozen of us in the reserved section of the theater so she would also ask my dd and her friend to sit with us. We didn't ask for this, didn't expect it but really appreciated the fact that she did do this. And we made sure that both of their tips reflected to them how much we appreciated the servicer we recieved from them. We'll be in another suite on our next cruise, this time with dd in the room, and we are really looking forward to it.

[jazzinj]

Hi there,

 

Just wanted some clarification...so if you're in any suite, you can order room service for breakfast and lunch from Cagney's, and from any of the other non-specialty dining rooms at no additional cost (plus tip, of course), and you can ask for room service from the specialty restaurants for the additional fee? And you can get pitchers of juice or milk or iced tea put in your fridge as well? Just wanted to know...

 

Thanks,

 

J

[Fishbait17]

Are their gratuities included in the $12 a day charges or more?

 

Gratuities for your butler and concierge are not included in the $12 DSC and should be paid directly to them in addition to the DSC. If you think about this, it makes perfect sense, why should everyone on the ship pay gratuities for services only used to a few (like the Kid's Club Crew and bartenders)? If you are interested in ideas for what to tip the butler and concierge, a quick search of this forum will bring up many threads on the subject with various opinions.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Robin

[Fishbait17]

Hi there,

 

Just wanted some clarification...so if you're in any suite, you can order room service for breakfast and lunch from Cagney's, and from any of the other non-specialty dining rooms at no additional cost (plus tip, of course), and you can ask for room service from the specialty restaurants for the additional fee? And you can get pitchers of juice or milk or iced tea put in your fridge as well? Just wanted to know...

 

Thanks,

 

J

 

Yes, this is all true. On occasion, you will run into a butler who is hesitant to offer/provide such service to all level suites, some are just seriously overworked/overwhelmed I think. If this is the case and you really want your room service, be clear about what you would like. If that fails, speak to the Concierge who will correct the problem. Have a great cruise!

 

Robin

[SuiteRose]

Best Butler ever....John D'Sousa.....worst' date=' hands down, Erlindo. Have experienced both on different ships.

 

Best Concierge....Carlos......worst by far, Claudio, now gone from NCL.[/quote']

 

 

Love Carlos!! So much so that I took the time to write a very long letter to NCL after our last cruise to tell them how wonderful he made our cruise... while I did give him a rather large tip, I felt that he would appreciate the letter to NCL... I actually got a reply from the main office thanking me for my feedback.

[tjaker11]

our butler last year on the Star was just ok, he would often complain to us about the other suite guests and how needy they were (we took that to mean, don't ask me for anything as I am to busy) and our concierge was non existent until the last night, we actually left her 2-3 messages and she never called back. Not at all what we have expierenced in the past. Boy did we miss Anoop! But we are pretty laid back and not needy so really no big deal, had a fabulous time regardless

[janet_t1]

John D'Sousa is now the concierge on the Spirit and doing a wonderful job.

 

This week he laughed that he would be in cover alls doing manual work during her dry dock:

[searoses]

fishbait says to contact the concierge if you are thinking the butler situation needs some attention. is that true? is the concierge "above" the butler? i was disappointed in my first butler exp and want to have a plan for next time. thanks

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

John D'Sousa - Star GV. We were asking how NCL made a BBC (Bailey's Banana Colada) He went to one of the bars and got the recipe and brought us a blender, so we could make them ourselves. We were using a LOT of ice, so he brought us a large cooler, and kept it full of ice at all times.

 

Ditto on John...PERFECT service in the GV. Don't remember our other NCL butlers, but were pleased with their service. Had the same butler twice on Celebrity and he was fantastic also, but John sets the standard. I requested that the 4 refrigerators in the room always be stocked with Evian...and they always were. He served dinner to us each night and it was always perfect. Loved the chats we'd have too...he gave me a dollar bill to carry for good luck and prosperity and I still carry it.

 

I typically make a list of what I'd like for the week and if we eat in the room (usual) I have the food order written out each day to make it a bit easier for them.