worst butler

[SissasMomE]

OMG :eek:

[OnTheGoMom921]

Getting good service from the butler staff is a two-way street, we have found.

 

(and this is true for any cruise line, not just Norwegian )

 

I have a sit-down "meeting" with the Butler on our first day, to go over the trip, the itinerary, our port plans and our requirements. This helps them immensely to sync with your schedule.

 

I go over what we want in the cabin, the fridge, what special coffee or mixers we need... what we like in the way of snacks and what we don't like, etc. and when we want them.

 

I tell him in advance which days we want in-suite breakfast (like early port days) and if we are having any friends over for drinks etc.

 

I never surprise the butler with a spontaneous request; I always give them heads-up in advance of anything we are going to need.

 

When we are done chatting, I give him a printed copy of all the bullets we talked about, for reference.

 

I have never had a bad butler experience doing this. Once they know your needs and expectations, it goes a whole lot smoother than "waiting to see what the butler will do for you today." :cool:

Excellent advice, Ron! I do EXACTLY the same, and have recommended this approach to others (mentioned in my BA review below) and I bring a printed copy of everything we are looking forward to during our cruise and hand it to the butler on the first day. Then, throughout the cruise, if we require anything additional, we write a note to the butler and leave it on the dining room table. We have never had a problem when our requests are written.

[computerworks]

We have never had a problem when our requests are written.

 

Precisely. I have had them thank me for that. They are not mind readers; their job is to make your cruise as excellent as possible. If you tell them where the bulls-eye is, they will do all they can to hit it.

[SissasMomE]

OMG :eek:

 

I don't know why the rest of my response didn't post. Anyway ... OMG :eek: the dominos story - I was LMAO at 2am when I read that!!

[dexddd]

After reading these threads for years it just seems that you never know what you are going to get in terms of butler and concierge from trip to trip. It should be better than what it is though based on our experiences. Some people mention so and so as being great or poor and other people report the opposite.

 

On the new ships (BA) the concierge is chained to the desk. From talking to the butlers the other issue on the BA is there isn't any galley for them in the back of the ship so they have to cart everything back there and it is a long way.

 

On the BA the butlers rotate areas every two weeks.

Edited May 10, 2014 by dexddd

[OurDogCisco]

This will be our first trip on NCL with a Butler. We have done other cruises with Concierge but never a butler. So, I have no idea what to ask for. I see some have a printed list but I have no idea what snacks they serve so how would I know what I want and not want. Do they provide a list of what they plan to serve each day? Do they provide a list of what services you can request from the butler?

 

I've contacted concierge via e-mail to make one dinner reservation as I couldn't make it online. They sent me a SPA menu but that was it.

[Cubechick]

This will be our first trip on NCL with a Butler. We have done other cruises with Concierge but never a butler. So, I have no idea what to ask for. I see some have a printed list but I have no idea what snacks they serve so how would I know what I want and not want. Do they provide a list of what they plan to serve each day? Do they provide a list of what services you can request from the butler?

 

I've contacted concierge via e-mail to make one dinner reservation as I couldn't make it online. They sent me a SPA menu but that was it.

 

The snacks go back and forth between sweet and savory. We don't care for sweets so we ask on those days to have something else. Cheese and crackers, pretzel rolls, chips and salsa, etc.

[jaja]

Our BEST butler....Teodoro (Gem)...so very accommodating and pleasant...!:D

[SMerritt]

I was in the Haven aft suite last year and also had Juan. I didn't see him at all throughout the entire cruise. He introduced himself to my husband on the SECOND day of the cruise. Perhaps we were never in the room when he came by, but if I were him, I would have made sure my guests saw me at least a couple of times. We did see the night butler several times.

 

 

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About the same on our cruise - we still talk about how we never actually "met" or even saw our Butler on the Breakaway - We did see a lot of our favorite butler Chris (from another cruise) - so wished he had been ours.

[david_sobe]

About the same on our cruise - we still talk about how we never actually "met" or even saw our Butler on the Breakaway - We did see a lot of our favorite butler Chris (from another cruise) - so wished he had been ours.

Yeah sometimes that can happen. Our last Epic trip after 2 days I told the concierge to have the butler stop by and introduce himself. I never asked for anything but thought it was odd I never saw him yet. Our first suite on Sky and Epic penthouse the butler came into the cabin, introduced themselves, showed us how to use the Lavazza machine, went over show times, etc.

But butler threads seem to always be the same. I think CC members have set the bar very high with such glowing reviews that some passengers feel left out when they don't get "star treatment". Some have very high expectations as if the butler is personally theirs and should be by their side. The butler is not a big deal IMHO. Many times when you call for something another staff member will deliver it because they are so busy. It is not like they are exclusively yours or some king of servant.

I have always wanted to know why some want the butler to "escort" them to restaurants or other places. Its not like you will get lost and most times a reservation will work out fine ;)

Edited May 10, 2014 by david_sobe

[putums]

I had up until last month nothing but great butlers. We were on the breakaway aft suite and also had The same butler. We didn't see him until the third day and only because we had a problem. No introductions, or how to use anything or how to get him. Only called him a couple of times and felt as if each time I was bothering him, he did make sure to tell me it would take him awhile. I love cruising and love the haven just hope I never have him again. Puzzles me how he has stayed in the position if he has always been like that...

[Medtech2]

I had up until last month nothing but great butlers. We were on the breakaway aft suite and also had The same butler. We didn't see him until the third day and only because we had a problem. No introductions, or how to use anything or how to get him. Only called him a couple of times and felt as if each time I was bothering him, he did make sure to tell me it would take him awhile. I love cruising and love the haven just hope I never have him again. Puzzles me how he has stayed in the position if he has always been like that...

Maybe because no one ever bothered to let the HD know?

[Love my butler]

Getting good service from the butler staff is a two-way street, we have found.

 

(and this is true for any cruise line, not just Norwegian )

 

I have a sit-down "meeting" with the Butler on our first day, to go over the trip, the itinerary, our port plans and our requirements. This helps them immensely to sync with your schedule.

 

I go over what we want in the cabin, the fridge, what special coffee or mixers we need... what we like in the way of snacks and what we don't like, etc. and when we want them.

 

I tell him in advance which days we want in-suite breakfast (like early port days) and if we are having any friends over for drinks etc.

 

I never surprise the butler with a spontaneous request; I always give them heads-up in advance of anything we are going to need.

 

When we are done chatting, I give him a printed copy of all the bullets we talked about, for reference.

 

I have never had a bad butler experience doing this. Once they know your needs and expectations, it goes a whole lot smoother than "waiting to see what the butler will do for you today." :cool:

 

Agree with this 100%. So many people don't know how to 'interact' with a butler. It is a learning process, depending on the butler.

[Love my butler]

Our butler on the Dawn last year was named Jen. She was excellent, and looked after me when I contracted a bad cold.

 

Had the pleasure of Jennifer a couple months ago on the Dawn. She is fantastic.

[barnacle_boy]

Getting good service from the butler staff is a two-way street, we have found.

 

(and this is true for any cruise line, not just Norwegian )

 

I have a sit-down "meeting" with the Butler on our first day, to go over the trip, the itinerary, our port plans and our requirements. This helps them immensely to sync with your schedule.

 

I go over what we want in the cabin, the fridge, what special coffee or mixers we need... what we like in the way of snacks and what we don't like, etc. and when we want them.

 

I tell him in advance which days we want in-suite breakfast (like early port days) and if we are having any friends over for drinks etc.

 

I never surprise the butler with a spontaneous request; I always give them heads-up in advance of anything we are going to need.

 

When we are done chatting, I give him a printed copy of all the bullets we talked about, for reference.

 

I have never had a bad butler experience doing this. Once they know your needs and expectations, it goes a whole lot smoother than "waiting to see what the butler will do for you today." :cool:

 

I think it's a little too simplistic to blame passengers for the poor service that they receive. Sure, passengers can be unreasonably demanding, but sometimes passengers just end up with incompetent butlers, and there's not enough writing or meeting in the world that'll get them to figure things out.

 

We do the same thing that you do. We always write down instructions and have a long talk on the first day to discuss our preferences and needs throughout the cruise. We did the same for our butler on the Star who, despite all these instructions and meetings, still couldn't follow through on anything. Not only that, he still argued with us about it too! I know we gave him all he needed to do his job, so I'm not going to blame myself for his incompetence and attitude problem.

[watchdiva]

We give the butler a list of what we prefer for snacks and afternoon snacks, let them know what nights we will want breakfast and dinner en suite. Imagine how hard it must be to learn the wants and needs of new passengers every week or so....we find that if we let them know upfront what we are hoping for during our cruise that it makes their job that much easier as well! The butlers want you to enjoy your cruise and will do what they can to help make that happen. If you feel your butler service is not up to par, speak with the concierge first and if that doesn't help, escalate to the HD.

[DMH15]

I think it's a little too simplistic to blame passengers for the poor service that they receive. Sure, passengers can be unreasonably demanding, but sometimes passengers just end up with incompetent butlers, and there's not enough writing or meeting in the world that'll get them to figure things out.

 

 

 

We do the same thing that you do. We always write down instructions and have a long talk on the first day to discuss our preferences and needs throughout the cruise. We did the same for our butler on the Star who, despite all these instructions and meetings, still couldn't follow through on anything. Not only that, he still argued with us about it too! I know we gave him all he needed to do his job, so I'm not going to blame myself for his incompetence and attitude problem.

 

 

How long is a long talk?

[younglegend]

IMHO, it's not my job to train the butlers on when to check in with passengers. We are the newbies, so to speak. They do this as a profession week after week, so I would imagine that NCL has a pretty good understanding of when, how, where to satisfy their guests. Working in business, I would also imagine that they spend millions of dollars and have years of experience trying to figure that out. Not everyone is alike, but there are patterns to any consumer experience, especially since the onboard offerings and schedules don't change vastly week to week. I don't blame the butler individually. He works for a large corporation. It's their responsibility to make sure their guests are satisfied. He may have too many cabins, or the cabins may be too far apart to meet guest expectations. It did not negatively affect my vacation, but I would have liked to have seen him more.

[barnacle_boy]

How long is a long talk?

 

~10 min. Just long enough to explain our various requests and preferences in detail.

 

IMHO, it's not my job to train the butlers on when to check in with passengers. We are the newbies, so to speak. They do this as a profession week after week, so I would imagine that NCL has a pretty good understanding of when, how, where to satisfy their guests. Working in business, I would also imagine that they spend millions of dollars and have years of experience trying to figure that out. Not everyone is alike, but there are patterns to any consumer experience, especially since the onboard offerings and schedules don't change vastly week to week. I don't blame the butler individually. He works for a large corporation. It's their responsibility to make sure their guests are satisfied. He may have too many cabins, or the cabins may be too far apart to meet guest expectations. It did not negatively affect my vacation, but I would have liked to have seen him more.

 

I agree, for the most part. Having too many cabins to service is definitely an issue worth debating, and so is the lack of adjacent resources for certain ships, but that's no excuse for a butler to have an attitude problem or demonstrate general incompetence. If NCL was at fault in my case, it would be that they kept him around without making sure that he was put through some additional training courses on how to interact with passengers.

[DMH15]

~10 min. Just long enough to explain our various requests and preferences in detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's reasonable. Thanks for your reply.

 

 

 

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[elruth]

We recently returned from an 11 da cruise on the Sun. We had a penthouse ( family ) suite. We have been on several NCL cruises and most cruises were in a penthouse so we had a butler. Maybe we are the exception but we didn't ask for anything out of the ordinary. He brought the daily treats and we asked him to change the champagne in cabin for a merlot. I like when the butler isn't checking on us and bothering us and I don't especially need to make a new friend, ask about his homeland, does he like his job etc.

 

Actually the concierge for the suites bothered me. Every breakfast and lunch at the La Cucina on the Sun ( changed name from Il Adagio ) she would visit our table and make small talk. I felt it was rude to continue eating when she was talking to us and often she would go on and on for at least 5 min. The only thing we asked her to do was make reservations for dinner one night at Le Bistro and when we showed up, the lady said there was no reservation for us. She seated us anyway. Of course we generously tipped the concierge and butler even though we are totally low maintenance and ended up making our own reservations.

[Love my butler]

Actually the concierge for the suites bothered me. Every breakfast and lunch at the La Cucina on the Sun ( changed name from Il Adagio ) she would visit our table and make small talk. I felt it was rude to continue eating when she was talking to us and often she would go on and on for at least 5 min. The only thing we asked her to do was make reservations for dinner one night at Le Bistro and when we showed up, the lady said there was no reservation for us. She seated us anyway. Of course we generously tipped the concierge and butler even though we are totally low maintenance and ended up making our own reservations.

 

That would be Leah. She is a very sweet girl. The Sun only has 20 suites so she has the time to visit with all the suite passengers who have breakfast/lunch in La Cucina. Sometimes you can't win. If the concierge does chat, people don't like it. If the concierge doesn't chat, people think they are being ignored. Tough job. The Le Bistro reservation could be any number of people who dropped the ball. Leah might have done her part but someone else didn't do theirs. Just sayin.

[elruth]

That would be Leah. She is a very sweet girl. The Sun only has 20 suites so she has the time to visit with all the suite passengers who have breakfast/lunch in La Cucina. Sometimes you can't win. If the concierge does chat, people don't like it. If the concierge doesn't chat, people think they are being ignored. Tough job. The Le Bistro reservation could be any number of people who dropped the ball. Leah might have done her part but someone else didn't do theirs. Just sayin.

 

Yes, she was sweet but I still say if she asked how we were enjoying the cruise and we said " yes, we are enjoying it " there was no need for her to spend several minutes at our table talking about the food on the table and how good it is, discussing the weather, asking if we got off the ship at every port etc. Different strokes for different folks. After the first couple of days she could figure out which people were gabbers and wanted to chat while eating their breakfast and / or lunch and who would rather not engage in lengthy conversations. I felt sorry for her as she got a bad cold during the last 3 or 4 days and you could tell she was sick. For all the other times we had a penthouse, the concierge would be at a desk right near the breakfast/lunch restaurant (ex: Cagneys ) and would be available without intruding while you were eating. I guess I like that type of contact better. Just sayin'.

[Casino Comp Chick]

Yeah sometimes that can happen. Our last Epic trip after 2 days I told the concierge to have the butler stop by and introduce himself. I never asked for anything but thought it was odd I never saw him yet. Our first suite on Sky and Epic penthouse the butler came into the cabin, introduced themselves, showed us how to use the Lavazza machine, went over show times, etc.

But butler threads seem to always be the same. I think CC members have set the bar very high with such glowing reviews that some passengers feel left out when they don't get "star treatment". Some have very high expectations as if the butler is personally theirs and should be by their side. The butler is not a big deal IMHO. Many times when you call for something another staff member will deliver it because they are so busy. It is not like they are exclusively yours or some king of servant.

I have always wanted to know why some want the butler to "escort" them to restaurants or other places. Its not like you will get lost and most times a reservation will work out fine ;)

 

I finally got an escort to my room after 5 or 6 suites and I kept saying to him, I can do this (when he grabbed my luggage) , I'm sure you have other things to do but he wouldn't hear of it. He also picked up my shopping at the duty free store. I took real good care of him at the end as he did me. I got great service, he got a great tip.

[Casino Comp Chick]

That would be Leah. She is a very sweet girl. The Sun only has 20 suites so she has the time to visit with all the suite passengers who have breakfast/lunch in La Cucina. Sometimes you can't win. If the concierge does chat, people don't like it. If the concierge doesn't chat, people think they are being ignored. Tough job. The Le Bistro reservation could be any number of people who dropped the ball. Leah might have done her part but someone else didn't do theirs. Just sayin.

 

It must be a holiday, you actually said something nice about someone from NCL

;)

Edited May 11, 2014 by iimmie