Haven Butler

[Shoppie124]

What are some of the things you asked them to do for you? We all know the food delivery.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

We ask that our mini-fridge be emptied and pitchers of ice tea and ice water be kept filled. We ask that they refill bowls of gummy bears, M&Ms, and bar mix. We ask for special snacks (in addition to the default afternoon snacks) including canapes, cheese plates, and PB&J sandwiches with chips (for us big kids).

 

For breakfast, there is a "check box" card. Disregard the check boxes and write whatever you want on the card from the suites restaurant or MDR. We order eggs over easy, egg white omelet, filet steak, bacon, ham, sausage, fresh breads, fresh fruits, juices, and a diet pepsi to be delivered on early port days.

[DominicAUS]

We did the same. Asked for lollies (candy) these were full the whole 10 days. Canapés. Sandwiches. Cheese plate. We only had one breakfast in the suite. We asked him to bring champers and canapés (paid for) for my birthday and he opened the champers. To I heaps of pics for us and helped out.

I gave ours a letter with the things we liked and wanted, so he knew off the bat. We never wanted for anything and we had his extension to call if there was something we wanted.

Enjoy it, it’s not going to be easy going back.

[LovetheCubs]

We are not a needy family at all so didn’t “ask” for anything but was pleasantly surprised by all the surprises. Different snacks, chocolate covered fruit, cheese plates, etc every afternoon. We called him the white rabbit bc we never saw him much but we knew he was there bc of our treats and surprises. It was like he learned our routine and accodated us without requests. Of course when we wanted or needed something it was never an issue but if you don’t have anything specific you really want it is fun to see how they make it special!

[NLH Arizona]

I always ask for a pitcher of ice water and iced tea daily and, sometime during the cruise, some oatmeal raisin cookies.

[takeadip]

When traveling in a 2 bedroom suite on port days we take the in room cordless phone with us and after a long day exploring the islands or taking private tours we would call the butler when we are in line to board the ship and request that he start to fill our bathtub in the suite (cause it actually takes a good 20 mins to fill) for us so when we arrive in the suite is easier to just disrobe and dissolve into a perfectly prepared hot bath with 2 champagne flutes filled with prosecco with a ripe red raspberry resting in the bottom of the glass.

 

Best,

Mark

[Larlin]

We are not a needy family at all so didn’t “ask” for anything but was pleasantly surprised by all the surprises. Different snacks, chocolate covered fruit, cheese plates, etc every afternoon. We called him the white rabbit bc we never saw him much but we knew he was there bc of our treats and surprises. It was like he learned our routine and accodated us without requests. Of course when we wanted or needed something it was never an issue but if you don’t have anything specific you really want it is fun to see how they make it special!

 

You’re a butlers dream. Keeping in mind that we’re not the only suite that he/she has, we try not to make demands of them either. We sure are treated well when they are finished with those who do! :cool:

[Akheila]

Do all Haven categories have a butler or just certain ones? If only certain categories which ones?

[vpearlkc]

Not only all Haven categories but all suites on ships with non Haven suites. Btw mini suites are not considered suites.

[njkate]

Not only all Haven categories but all suites on ships with non Haven suites. Btw mini suites are not considered suites.

Exactly, NCL should really drop the term mini suite and call them premium balconies or such, as only difference is the larger bathroom

[Akheila]

Exactly, NCL should really drop the term mini suite and call them premium balconies or such, as only difference is the larger bathroom

 

Its not just NCL the term mini suite is ridiculous! But I'm sure that's another thread altogether. But thank you.

[Takoyaki]

You’re a butlers dream. Keeping in mind that we’re not the only suite that he/she has, we try not to make demands of them either. We sure are treated well when they are finished with those who do! :cool:

now I feel bad for utilizing them :(

THANKS! lol

whatever we ask for we make sure to be very polite and stress that it isn't a rush.

 

Our daughter once spit her pacifier off the balcony and it landed in the crew pool area, it was embarrassing to ask for but our butler got it back for us. Those things are a precious commodity when you're in the middle of the ocean lol.

 

EDIT to answer OP

we also asked for the pitchers of water and lemonade to be kept filled (so nice having it available all the time.) he also took pictures for us, and with us(we wanted a picture with him because he was so good with our daughter and made our trip so special)

[MsMidge]

now I feel bad for utilizing them :(

THANKS! lol

whatever we ask for we make sure to be very polite and stress that it isn't a rush.

 

Our daughter once spit her pacifier off the balcony and it landed in the crew pool area, it was embarrassing to ask for but our butler got it back for us. Those things are a precious commodity when you're in the middle of the ocean lol.

 

EDIT to answer OP

we also asked for the pitchers of water and lemonade to be kept filled (so nice having it available all the time.) he also took pictures for us, and with us(we wanted a picture with him because he was so good with our daughter and made our trip so special)

 

We never asked for anything and all she did was drop off a plate of crappy snacks every day from a cart she rolled down the hallway. Basically it was a waste for us anyway.

[RPCVcruiser]

I found our last butler experience awesome. I get up at the crack of dawn, so he delivered a pot of coffee at 6 am, with a return trip at 8 am with another pot of joe, a pot of hot chocolate, and some breakfast for our teen daughter (who like most teens sleeps a lot). DD was especially grateful for the morning hot chocolate and chocolate treats that she wrote a note to our butler about her appreciation. This led to the daily snacks for the parents and a treat for the girl. On port days, we ordered breakfast in the room, whatever we wanted but put it out the night before to make it easier the next morning. The butler mentioned that letting him know what we thinking made it easier to meet our wants.

 

 

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[Shoppie124]

That is good to know!! Did you use the coffee machine in the room at all?

 

 

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[RPCVcruiser]

Mrs RPCVCRUISER did quite frequently. The butler kept us full of her preferred coffee pods and skim milk as she is lactose intolerant. Let the butler know early what your wants are and they are usually taken care of. That cruise was our first at latitudes gold (and last somehow) so we had a laundry discount, the laundry bags in the Haven on the escape are cloth bags that hold a ton of clothes (roll don’t ball you fit more). The butler returned the laundry pressed and in a wicker basket which was rather nice touch.

 

 

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[Shoppie124]

Mrs RPCVCRUISER did quite frequently. The butler kept us full of her preferred coffee pods and skim milk as she is lactose intolerant. Let the butler know early what your wants are and they are usually taken care of. That cruise was our first at latitudes gold (and last somehow) so we had a laundry discount, the laundry bags in the Haven on the escape are cloth bags that hold a ton of clothes (roll don’t ball you fit more). The butler returned the laundry pressed and in a wicker basket which was rather nice touch.

 

 

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How did you lose gold status? Also did it take days to get the laundry back?

 

 

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[RPCVcruiser]

How did you lose gold status? Also did it take days to get the laundry back?

 

 

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Got the laundry back next day. “Lost” gold by becoming platinum. Was right when they changed the latitudes program so we were grandfathered in the old points structure at 21 points for that cruise (Haven, seven day cruise and booked 9 months prior), good thing too as we would have been short by two points to new program platinum.

 

 

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[GeezerCouple]

I found our last butler experience awesome. I get up at the crack of dawn, so he delivered a pot of coffee at 6 am, with a return trip at 8 am with another pot of joe, a pot of hot chocolate, and some breakfast for our teen daughter (who like most teens sleeps a lot). DD was especially grateful for the morning hot chocolate and chocolate treats that she wrote a note to our butler about her appreciation. This led to the daily snacks for the parents and a treat for the girl. On port days, we ordered breakfast in the room, whatever we wanted but put it out the night before to make it easier the next morning. The butler mentioned that letting him know what we thinking made it easier to meet our wants.

 

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On the first day, when we first meet our Butler, we hand him (thus far, they've always been male) a short letter, with just a bit of background about us, plus what we liked (or did not like), plus one food allergy.

 

We handed this to the Butler upon the very first meeting, as we quickly mentioned something like, "This is a bit of background about us and what we appreciate, but you can look at it later at your convenience."

That first afternoon/evening can be very hectic for the crew in general, and especially for a good Butler.

 

Invariably, the Butler returned later that day or early the next day, with the note in hand, and a pen... and definite thanks for giving this to him. Then he asked a few more questions, and made some notes to himself.

 

That way, the Butler didn't waste time/energy on things we did not want, and also would know that what he *was* doing would be genuinely appreciated.

 

For example, we don't like "sweets" ... except for dark chocolate [also part of our "good health" diet, of course ;)], so we weren't inundated with candies, etc.

And we do love fresh fruits, so those kept appearing throughout the day.

A funny story about one terrific Butler: DH kept polishing off the fruit, so the Butler kept bringing increasing portion sizes. It didn't take long for those to look like family sized platters. But those are still full of calories, etc., and DH would keep eating them.... So we finally asked for a bit of a limit, with a lot of laughing about that!

 

We also arranged for the Butler (only, not the Steward) to have "permission" to knock and enter at any time, such as to deliver an early breakfast or afternoon snacks. We pointed out that if we did NOT want him to enter, we'd just bolt the door.

These folks are professionals, and we didn't mind if we were still in bed. They were often SO quiet, it was hard to believe he had delivered a huge breakfast and disappeared, with not more than the click of a door sounding.

Usually we had a separate bedroom, but there often wasn't a door we kept closed.

(On another cruise line, we have a smaller suite, just one large room, and we did the same thing there. It's amazing how they can return a "Good Morning" greeting while setting out breakfast, and make it sound personal, while never actually glancing in our direction, *unless* we did something like sit up; they must have terrific peripheral vision :))

 

When we had OS or DOS, they also kept the mini-fridge well stocked with our choice of non-alcoholic beverages, with extras stashed in a cabinet.

 

Anyway, although we haven't (yet?!?) requested having a bath drawn, we do use the Butler a lot, especially for en suite dining, and we definitely tip accordingly. We are also almost always very flexible about scheduling, and we just make it clear the few times there are any specific time constraints.

 

Ah... it's been much too long since the last cruise!

(March - That was with Hurtigruten, a 12 night RT along the Norwegian Coast. Although we had a huge suite, they have no "butlers", and not even room service. And we also had an absolutely terrific time, then, too. It's all good!)

 

We got the "letter" idea here on CC.

 

GC

[Medtech2]

The one time we had a butler I started off with the letter/list. I asked for fresh plums and he brought so many I couldn’t eat them all. We asked for BLT’s on pretzel rolls, same thing, too many. I would tell him to stop but they kept coming. I did ask for an Oreo cheesecake from Cagney’s and that he actually complained about. I’ve never heard of anyone else having a complaining butler. I called him about something else once and he basically told me he was busy so he wasn’t shy about that either. Those were the only food things I asked for.

 

We were in a Spa Suite so there was no room to have a meal there. I could not turn on the jacuzzi one time and he came straight away to fix it while I stood there in a bathrobe. I mentioned my camera was on the fritz and he insisted upon looking at that also. It was a bit weird being just in a robe but he seemed really at ease with it.

[Takoyaki]

That is good to know!! Did you use the coffee machine in the room at all?

 

 

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of course :D

Although having the butler bring a pot is nice if you want a quick cup or 2 before heading out it is super nice to have that option.

[cruisegal415]

I've seen where people ask for pitchers of water or ice tea to be left in the refrigerator, great idea. I'm an ice coffee drinker. Not necessarily the specialty coffees. At home I just make coffee extra strong and then dump a bunch of ice cubes in it. Any chance of getting iced coffee from the butler in the am?

[NLH Arizona]

I've seen where people ask for pitchers of water or ice tea to be left in the refrigerator, great idea. I'm an ice coffee drinker. Not necessarily the specialty coffees. At home I just make coffee extra strong and then dump a bunch of ice cubes in it. Any chance of getting iced coffee from the butler in the am?

I don't see why not, just ask. If the Butler can do it, they will and if not, they will let you know.

[Takoyaki]

I've seen where people ask for pitchers of water or ice tea to be left in the refrigerator, great idea. I'm an ice coffee drinker. Not necessarily the specialty coffees. At home I just make coffee extra strong and then dump a bunch of ice cubes in it. Any chance of getting iced coffee from the butler in the am?

Wouldn't hurt to ask, we had alcohol delivered with dinner even though they are supposed to charge for it(in room alcohol isn't part of ubp/open bar) we never got charged. Butlers work wonders.

 

Worst case scenario I am sure they can provide you with plenty of coffee pods and ice to make your own.

[cruisegal415]

Wouldn't hurt to ask, we had alcohol delivered with dinner even though they are supposed to charge for it(in room alcohol isn't part of ubp/open bar) we never got charged. Butlers work wonders.

 

Worst case scenario I am sure they can provide you with plenty of coffee pods and ice to make your own.

 

Geez! Make my own coffee!! On vacation??!! In the Haven??!! :p;p:D (Seriously, how simple, why didn't I think of that?!)