Concierge and butler

[panbear]

Good day all, Suggestions needed.

 

My upcoming cruise will be the first time with a butler and concierge service.

People have said that the butler deals with room issues, the concierge deals with outside the room.

My question is, how have you best utilized their services in the past and what is considered appropiate tipping.

Thanks so much

[CruiserBruce]

It appears you are going on the NCL Pearl. (remember not everyone sees the "signatures area that includes your future cruises). I would be doing research on the NCL board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

[sail7seas]

Last time we had a butler (Celebrity) we tipped him to stay away. We found him far more a nuisance than help. :rolleyes:

 

We much prefer the HAL combination of excellent cabin steward and Neptune Lounge Concierge. Everything and anything we have ever needed is easily accomplished between the two.

 

[screwsmcernst]

Last time we had a butler (Celebrity) we tipped him to stay away. We found him far more a nuisance than help. :rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

I think we would do the same thing. My husband wanted to book a suite on our upcoming cruise, and I thought the butler would be a little to much.:eek: I could be wrong though.;)

[Gunner22aa]

We cruise in suites but thankfully Princess has done away with butlers. Our last was on Celebrity as well. Saw him the first day and basically the last. Our cabin steward was far more helpfull and did way more for us then the butler. I'm sure there are great ones out there and Cunard is renound for their butler service at the Queens Grill level of suite. As for us we can and will do without one.

[sail7seas]

We've had a few butlers who were pleasant to chat with but I don't want telephone calls and knocks on the door asking if we need or want anything. If we want something, don't worry...... we won't keep it a secret. :D I asked the last butler to kindly respond to any calls we may place but we would call him; he didn't need to call us. We never called. ;) :D The butler on Princess was a pain in the neck. :eek:

 

We LOVE having the concierge In Neptune Lounge for Suite guests on our HAL cruises. Most of them are very good and very pleasant to work with.

[SuitCaseBears]

We've had a butler on Regent and concierges on other lines. Here's how we really enjoyed the butler.

 

1. We told him we love our privacy so while we're happy to call on him when we need him, please don't proactively ask what we need. I made a fuss about telling him I was really good at asking for what I wanted. I told him basically "don't call us, we'll call you"

 

2. I asked him to come back when he was through welcoming everyone and had some time (this was during embarkation) and we could talk then. When he came back before dinner that night I asked him what other passengers seemed to enjoy having him do. And I picked things we might like and added some of our own.

 

3. We had him bring us Hor D'oervres every late afternoon. We gave him a list of what we didn't want and told him "surprise us" other than that.

 

4. We asked him to lay out our formal wear for formal night and press if necessary during the afternoon.

 

5. We told him DH likes a cognac before bed so could he get us a bottle of Remy and make sure there was a snifter in the room every night.

 

6. We asked him that if there were wet bathing suits in the cabin when we left for dinner to take them away and dry them and return them.

 

7. We said we'd leave shoes out if they needed polishing, otherwise, not needed.

 

8. On an ad hoc basis we would ask for things like more ice, a different pillow etc.

 

9. I also told him our normal daily semi-routine and that we were almost always out of the cabin by 10, ate meals out, not with room service, gone most of the afternoon and that when we really didn't want him to even do things we had asked about we'd fly the "do not disturb sign"

 

10. Oh and I told him we had laundry every night and how we wanted it done (shirts on hangers etc.)

 

And with that he didn't bother us - he did just what we wanted, and pretty much (not completely) didn't bother us otherwise. By not completely, I mean he never called or knocked. But if he saw us, he would ask "are you sure there's nothing else?"

 

I forget what I tipped him - but probably a lot :). And he thanked me at the end for being a delight to serve because being clear and specific and actually enjoying his services is important to a butler.

 

That was an indulgently luxurious experience and I commend you for thinking about this in advance so you can use their services rather than think of them as just a nuisance.

 

Having a butler is not a common experience for most of us. So I would urge you to close your eyes and have a little fantasy about what it would be like to live in a time when butlers were common. Planning in advance will allow you to use the Butler's services well.

[SuitCaseBears]

I was so busy enjoying thinking about our butler I forgot the concierge. Use him/her for tickers, reservations, information about the ship.

 

When my husband got sick and we had to leave the ship, our concierge was my email contact for the ship to get things we needed, like the last page of his medical paperwork hadn't copied well, and I emailed the concierge and he arranged to have it re-copied and emailed it to me.

 

I must sound like a very demanding person, but really I less of a nuisance than many passengers. I think people who work in butler and concierge positions really do love to serve. And if you are polite, cheerful, flexible in your requests and appreciative, which I always am, they love that dynamic and interaction. It makes their job feel worthwhile and special.

[Husky61]

We had a butler and Concierge on a NCL cruise and enjoyed both. But you may not. I don't think the experience of other people should influence your decision, since their likes and dislikes may be entirely opposite of yours. But you are the one to make that choice.

[GORDONCHICK]

Good day all, Suggestions needed.

 

My upcoming cruise will be the first time with a butler and concierge service.

People have said that the butler deals with room issues, the concierge deals with outside the room.

My question is, how have you best utilized their services in the past and what is considered appropiate tipping.

Thanks so much

 

The butler will take care of anything you need to be done inside your suite. If you'd like a chair removed because it's in the way or you need more decaf coffee pods instead of the others - the butler would be the one. Also, if you decide to dine in your suite, the butler would be the one to deliver the meal. The concierge takes care of things outside your cabin. He or she will be able to make reservations in any restaurant for you, as well as book excursions if you'd like. Since you'll be on the Pearl, you will have access to Cagney's for breakfast and lunch (one of the best suite perks), you will most likely see the concierge there as well. If you have tender ports, the concierge will have a letter delivered to your suite that will tell you the time and place to meet for VIP debarkation.

[Sherlock43031]

We've had a butler on Regent and concierges on other lines. Here's how we really enjoyed the butler.

 

1. We told him we love our privacy so while we're happy to call on him when we need him, please don't proactively ask what we need. I made a fuss about telling him I was really good at asking for what I wanted. I told him basically "don't call us, we'll call you"

 

2. I asked him to come back when he was through welcoming everyone and had some time (this was during embarkation) and we could talk then. When he came back before dinner that night I asked him what other passengers seemed to enjoy having him do. And I picked things we might like and added some of our own.

 

3. We had him bring us Hor D'oervres every late afternoon. We gave him a list of what we didn't want and told him "surprise us" other than that.

 

4. We asked him to lay out our formal wear for formal night and press if necessary during the afternoon.

 

5. We told him DH likes a cognac before bed so could he get us a bottle of Remy and make sure there was a snifter in the room every night.

 

6. We asked him that if there were wet bathing suits in the cabin when we left for dinner to take them away and dry them and return them.

 

7. We said we'd leave shoes out if they needed polishing, otherwise, not needed.

 

8. On an ad hoc basis we would ask for things like more ice, a different pillow etc.

 

9. I also told him our normal daily semi-routine and that we were almost always out of the cabin by 10, ate meals out, not with room service, gone most of the afternoon and that when we really didn't want him to even do things we had asked about we'd fly the "do not disturb sign"

 

10. Oh and I told him we had laundry every night and how we wanted it done (shirts on hangers etc.)

 

And with that he didn't bother us - he did just what we wanted, and pretty much (not completely) didn't bother us otherwise. By not completely, I mean he never called or knocked. But if he saw us, he would ask "are you sure there's nothing else?"

 

I forget what I tipped him - but probably a lot :). And he thanked me at the end for being a delight to serve because being clear and specific and actually enjoying his services is important to a butler.

 

That was an indulgently luxurious experience and I commend you for thinking about this in advance so you can use their services rather than think of them as just a nuisance.

 

Having a butler is not a common experience for most of us. So I would urge you to close your eyes and have a little fantasy about what it would be like to live in a time when butlers were common. Planning in advance will allow you to use the Butler's services well.

 

I could see how that would be a problem.. :rolleyes:

[panbear]

I really wanted to thank everyone for their input. Some ideas I hadn't thought about, esp that it may be a nuisance!!!! :)

 

I believe I am fairly straight forward and I can see how that would be helpful to someone in their position. I work with many people in my job and there is nothing more frustrating than someone thinking you are a mind reader, I usually get it wrong!!

 

Thank you again, I will spend some nice fantasy time dreaming up ways to really enjoy my time.

 

:)

[momofmeg]

I think we would do the same thing. My husband wanted to book a suite on our upcoming cruise, and I thought the butler would be a little to much.:eek: I could be wrong though.;)

 

I felt the same way about the butler. We could call and get things done a lot quicker ourselves than waiting on him to do them for us. What some people do not realize is the butler takes care of a number of suites, he is not your private butler and it seemed our fellow suite neighbors demanded a lot of him. Both sides of us had him bring breakfast every morning.

[screwsmcernst]

We've had a butler on Regent and concierges on other lines. Here's how we really enjoyed the butler.

 

1. We told him we love our privacy so while we're happy to call on him when we need him, please don't proactively ask what we need. I made a fuss about telling him I was really good at asking for what I wanted. I told him basically "don't call us, we'll call you"

 

2. I asked him to come back when he was through welcoming everyone and had some time (this was during embarkation) and we could talk then. When he came back before dinner that night I asked him what other passengers seemed to enjoy having him do. And I picked things we might like and added some of our own.

 

3. We had him bring us Hor D'oervres every late afternoon. We gave him a list of what we didn't want and told him "surprise us" other than that.

 

4. We asked him to lay out our formal wear for formal night and press if necessary during the afternoon.

 

5. We told him DH likes a cognac before bed so could he get us a bottle of Remy and make sure there was a snifter in the room every night.

 

6. We asked him that if there were wet bathing suits in the cabin when we left for dinner to take them away and dry them and return them.

 

7. We said we'd leave shoes out if they needed polishing, otherwise, not needed.

 

8. On an ad hoc basis we would ask for things like more ice, a different pillow etc.

 

9. I also told him our normal daily semi-routine and that we were almost always out of the cabin by 10, ate meals out, not with room service, gone most of the afternoon and that when we really didn't want him to even do things we had asked about we'd fly the "do not disturb sign"

 

10. Oh and I told him we had laundry every night and how we wanted it done (shirts on hangers etc.)

 

And with that he didn't bother us - he did just what we wanted, and pretty much (not completely) didn't bother us otherwise. By not completely, I mean he never called or knocked. But if he saw us, he would ask "are you sure there's nothing else?"

 

I forget what I tipped him - but probably a lot :). And he thanked me at the end for being a delight to serve because being clear and specific and actually enjoying his services is important to a butler.

 

That was an indulgently luxurious experience and I commend you for thinking about this in advance so you can use their services rather than think of them as just a nuisance.

 

Having a butler is not a common experience for most of us. So I would urge you to close your eyes and have a little fantasy about what it would be like to live in a time when butlers were common. Planning in advance will allow you to use the Butler's services well.

 

 

This is great information. I would have never thought to give him/her a list of things to do. That would make it quite enjoyable. Thanks for sharing. :)

[sail7seas]

I'm chuckling a little .....

 

IF we have to ask, think, plan in advance how to use the butler, what we can have him do for us, make lists of all the little tasks we can assign him.......

 

Do we really need or want a butler's service all that much? Maybe it's that we don't really have wild desire or need for their help except for some odd, unexpected situation that might arise?

 

Just me musing....... :D

 

[YubaSutter]

I would ask the butler to bring me some grey Poupon.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Last time we had a butler (Celebrity) we tipped him to stay away. We found him far more a nuisance than help. :rolleyes:

 

We much prefer the HAL combination of excellent cabin steward and Neptune Lounge Concierge. Everything and anything we have ever needed is easily accomplished between the two.

 

 

This would be me; having a butler would actually be a turn-off to me. I just don't want that kind of service; I'd probably be bending over backwards not to bother him! And I really wouldn't want someone constantly hovering around.

 

I'd feel like I'd have to tip when I wouldn't even enjoy this 'perk'.

[momofmeg]

This would be me; having a butler would actually be a turn-off to me. I just don't want that kind of service; I'd probably be bending over backwards not to bother him! And I really wouldn't want someone constantly hovering around.

 

I'd feel like I'd have to tip when I wouldn't even enjoy this 'perk'.

 

The one time we had a butler was because our cruise went WAY down in price. Our butler did not hover. It seemed to me that most of my fellow suite mates kept him very busy.

 

The few things we asked of him such as arranging our reservations for specialty restaurants took forever. Hubby even called and tried to reserve those himself as the butler twice apologized for not having done that yet and we were told at guest services that our butler would take care of that for us and to wait on him. In consequence we did not get to go our first night of choice or the time we wanted as it was booked solid.

 

Hubby did have him press a few of his shirts. One he had to call about repeatably the first formal night. Hubby knew after that to give him the shirts before he actually needed them and ask they be there the day before he planned to wear them. (yes he tipped extra)

 

The only other thing we asked for was morning cappuccinos and he was always at least a few minutes late with those. Now he did apologize to us over and over about them and he told us he was very busy as some of the other suites were very demanding. He was delivering half a dozen breakfasts every morning. We were told that we were his only suite that did not request breakfast every day.

 

When he learned we had eaten in the lido a couple of times because of being too tired to go to dinner (this was a Med cruise with 12 hour ports) and we met him in the hallway after our day in Livornio/Tuscany. We had done 2 excursions that day. The morning to Pisa, the afternoon to a winery. He asked if we planned to go to dinner when we said no we were headed to the buffet he insisted that we order off the menu and he brought it to us and served it on our balcony. That was very nice. I think he felt badly that he had not done much for us. I myself felt badly as he seemed rushed off his feet every time we saw him.