Has anyone noticed a decline in butler service over the years?

[markf]

I believe Butlers and cabin attendants have seen increases in the # of cabin each is responsible for.

I think that is the bottom line.

I was on an NCL cruise in March and it was not unusual to see the cabin atendant still working the morning shift until 2 PM.

In contrast on a X cruise last month, that never seemed to be the case. The attendant wee never seen late in the afternoon , you can tell by their carts etc.

[NMLady]

I've never had a butler but my wife has really been slacking off lately.

 

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:eek: :). :rolleyes: :D

[Peachypooh]

The first butler we had basically ignored us. There was a couple a few cabins down that I noticed demanded his undivided attention. Some days he didn't even bring the afternoon snacks to us. I think they were making believe the ship was Downton Abbey LOL.

Our second butler was slightly better. He had our pre-ordered bottles of liquor but never brought our requested mixers. He skipped a few nights of the before dinner treats also. Didn't replenish the fruit or bring tea bags.

We tipped them both the recommended amount as we cruise the same lines and didn't want to get a reputation for being a bad tipper. But honestly neither of them did even the bare minimum.

[conandrob240]

We just recently had our first Butler experience so I have nothing to compare it to, although I do agree that the bloom falls off the rose over time, so I do judge my superb experience on the Epic differently than my experience on the Getaway.

 

I went the route of putting my requests in writing and found it interesting that some requests were filled to the extreme while others ignored, even though they were all easy and within the Butler's duties.

 

What I found most interesting was the perception of what made a good Butler. Our Butler seemed to always have a sad face, so much that I asked him about it. His reply was that he was trying to express a reserved, professional "Butler" demeanor. I just told him I perceived it as sad, and I would prefer a not so "professional" demeanor...We both had different perceptions and expectations...

 

Would you be willing to share some examples of requests? I am used to butlers at Sandals resorts but I think the NCL butlers are much more limited in their duties.

[njhorseman]

The first butler we had basically ignored us. There was a couple a few cabins down that I noticed demanded his undivided attention. Some days he didn't even bring the afternoon snacks to us. I think they were making believe the ship was Downton Abbey LOL.

Our second butler was slightly better. He had our pre-ordered bottles of liquor but never brought our requested mixers. He skipped a few nights of the before dinner treats also. Didn't replenish the fruit or bring tea bags.

We tipped them both the recommended amount as we cruise the same lines and didn't want to get a reputation for being a bad tipper. But honestly neither of them did even the bare minimum.

 

I'm confused by your reference to the "recommended amount" because there is no such thing. Tipping amounts are strictly at your discretion.

 

Personally if our butler isn't doing performing the basics of his/her job (such as not delivering snacks, replenishing coffee/tea supplies) they won't get much of a tip...if anything at all.

[Trevor Fountain]

When I cruised regularly in the 90's, mainly with P&O, Cabin Stewards were as good as a Butler today.

Whilst on duty, they would stand in the corridor. Each cabin had a call button, and when pressed, a light would glow outside the room. The steward would knock at your door, and attend to your request.

He would bring tea/coffee sandwiches on request. During the day whilst not in your cabin, you would find that on return your room would have been tidied to an extremely high standard, and if you had left shoe's (men's) on the floor, they would be polished.

He would call at your room on formal nights to see if the gentleman needed assistance with his attire.

In those days (not so long ago), the "British" ships (P&O and Cunard), set very high standards. They went downhill as soon as Carnival took over the P&O Line.

Many people today don't really know what cruising was really about, preferring instead to have tacky resorts at Sea.

[FreestyleNovice]

When I cruised regularly in the 90's, mainly with P&O, Cabin Stewards were as good as a Butler today.

Whilst on duty, they would stand in the corridor. Each cabin had a call button, and when pressed, a light would glow outside the room. The steward would knock at your door, and attend to your request.

He would bring tea/coffee sandwiches on request. During the day whilst not in your cabin, you would find that on return your room would have been tidied to an extremely high standard, and if you had left shoe's (men's) on the floor, they would be polished.

He would call at your room on formal nights to see if the gentleman needed assistance with his attire.

In those days (not so long ago), the "British" ships (P&O and Cunard), set very high standards. They went downhill as soon as Carnival took over the P&O Line.

Many people today don't really know what cruising was really about, preferring instead to have tacky resorts at Sea.

 

Eh great story but welcome to the NCL board, P&O and Cunard boards are elsewhere if you care about polished shoes on your vacation. Enjoy your upcoming NCL cruise! ;)

[DaisyGoldberg]

It amazes me that it is common to eat at restaurants today and once you get your food the waiter or waitress never checks in to see everything is alright.

 

That's odd - I feel the opposite, like nowadays you can't have conversation over dinner without a steady stream of restaurant staff "checking" to see how your dinner is and if you want anything else.

 

In Cagneys one night I watched the chef making rounds and hoped he'd get called away before he got to us. But no, we sat there with our food getting cold while he asked where we were from, and what we had done in port that day, and how we were enjoying the food.

 

Maybe some people get a charge out of it, so they're told they have to mingle, but there really isn't a polite way for a passenger to decline the "honor."

[maestrotim]

Have not seen a decline in butler service, but have noticed increased guest expectations.

[asand5554]

We've been fortunate to sail in suites on our last 3-4 cruises and this most recent sailing on the Dawn (10/24-31) was our best butler experience with Marivic. She was personable, accommodating and fulfilled all of our requests. I love iced coffee, and we always had a pitcher of coffee in the refrigerator and the snacks we requested (cheese & crackers, cookies). She was new to the dawn. Not sure if she was also new to the position.

[younglegend]

It's hard to say whether its a trend for me as we don't cruise in suites often enough, but the first butler I had in 2010 was great, the next good, the last terrible. Being proactive and anticipating needs seems to have decreased, which could be a result of workload. The number of butlers has also increased dramatically given the new ships with much larger Haven complexes, so entirely possible that the pool of exceptional butlers is smaller and/or that the training is less robust. On the Breakaway next week, so we'll see whether the "trend" continues.

[luvtheships]

I think having a butler around would be a terrible intrusion on my vacation not to mention another ridiculously out of proportion tip I would have to shell out.

 

What I love about cruising Ncl in either an inside or ov is that the stewards just do their jobs and dont bother you much. Lol

 

 

 

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Edited November 7, 2014 by luvtheships

[Love my butler]

I think having a butler around would be a terrible intrusion on my vacation not to mention another ridiculously out of proportion tip I would have to shell out.

 

What I love about cruising Ncl in either an inside or ov is that the stewards just do their jobs and dont bother you much. Lol

 

Good butlers never intrude, they assist. As far as tips go, yeah, they deserve one so you are probably better off without a butler.

[rvsullivan]

Good butlers never intrude, they assist. As far as tips go, yeah, they deserve one so you are probably better off without a butler.

 

There you go again LMB!! Just when I get really upset with you, you go and make a post like this!! Thank you, very well said!!:D

[njhorseman]

There you go again LMB!! Just when I get really upset with you, you go and make a post like this!! Thank you, very well said!!:D

 

Don't get too excited...as they say "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while". :D

[Ed]

Would you call he or she a bad butler if on the first day you explain to them that your wife has a nut and shellfish allergy and to be considerate when bringing the afternoon snacks and on the first day you get chocolate covered candy with nuts and chocolate covered strawberries all on the same plate. Day two your get afternoon snacks with lobster and shrimp on toasted bread? Cookies with nuts. This went on the entire cruise even though we left the snacks uneaten and left notes. When we called and asked about something they deflected it back to us to check with the concierge.

Should a butler be rewarded with a tip for just bringing afternoon snacks and not even searching us out?

[rjm11]

Would you call he or she a bad butler if on the first day you explain to them that your wife has a nut and shellfish allergy and to be considerate when bringing the afternoon snacks and on the first day you get chocolate covered candy with nuts and chocolate covered strawberries all on the same plate. Day two your get afternoon snacks with lobster and shrimp on toasted bread? Cookies with nuts. This went on the entire cruise even though we left the snacks uneaten and left notes. When we called and asked about something they deflected it back to us to check with the concierge.

Should a butler be rewarded with a tip for just bringing afternoon snacks and not even searching us out?

I'd say that's bad butler service!