Butler vs concierge

[Smong]

i have stayed in the haven 3 times now and have yet to have our butler do anything other than leave snacks in our room. Now on the other hand our concierge on all 3 sailings has made all reservations for dinner, shows, excursions etc. always someone at the desk with a smiling face. Mostly always available for any question or request i have. So maybe some of you butler lovers can give me some ideas of what else you have the butler do besides leave snacks. Would love to utilize them more maybe i just don’t know how!

[Son of a son of a ...]

Meals served in the cabin

[GRAYTech]

We are booked on the Panama Canal transit LAX-MIA March 2019 in an aft penthouse with butler services. We plan to spend the day on the balcony going through the canal. In fact, we will spend most of the sea days on the balcony and would utilize the butler.

 

Is it reasonable to expect the butler to serve us 2 or 3 meals on the balcony and bring drinks throughout the day? (booking included the bev package) Is this what they are supposed to do? Of course I will tip appropriately at the end of the cruise based on services rendered.

[NMLady]

We are booked on the Panama Canal transit LAX-MIA March 2019 in an aft penthouse with butler services. We plan to spend the day on the balcony going through the canal. In fact, we will spend most of the sea days on the balcony and would utilize the butler.

 

Is it reasonable to expect the butler to serve us 2 or 3 meals on the balcony and bring drinks throughout the day? (booking included the bev package) Is this what they are supposed to do? Of course I will tip appropriately at the end of the cruise based on services rendered.

 

Thy UBP does not include drinks served in room.

[RD29P5]

We are booked on the Panama Canal transit LAX-MIA March 2019 in an aft penthouse with butler services. We plan to spend the day on the balcony going through the canal. In fact, we will spend most of the sea days on the balcony and would utilize the butler.

 

Is it reasonable to expect the butler to serve us 2 or 3 meals on the balcony and bring drinks throughout the day? (booking included the bev package) Is this what they are supposed to do? Of course I will tip appropriately at the end of the cruise based on services rendered.

 

I don't believe that drinks brought to you in your cabin will be covered under the UBP or whatever it is now. I've never tried it I found it easier and probably faster just to walk up a couple flights of stairs and get my own drinks.

[Two Wheels Only]

Alcoholic drinks delivered by the butler are not covered by the UBP/UOB.

 

 

As for the meals, having them delivered is no problem. It's best to schedule the meals vs. ordering on the fly.

[BirdTravels]

We are booked on the Panama Canal transit LAX-MIA March 2019 in an aft penthouse with butler services. We plan to spend the day on the balcony going through the canal. In fact, we will spend most of the sea days on the balcony and would utilize the butler.

 

Is it reasonable to expect the butler to serve us 2 or 3 meals on the balcony and bring drinks throughout the day? (booking included the bev package) Is this what they are supposed to do? Of course I will tip appropriately at the end of the cruise based on services rendered.

Yes. You can have food brought to you throughout the day. Your butler will bring you drinks, but they are charged at retail price (even if you have the UBP).

[GRAYTech]

...Your butler will bring you drinks, but they are charged at retail price (even if you have the UBP).

 

 

I guess I will be stretching my legs occasionally. A bit OT but if I take both cruise cards I should I be able to get 4 drinks each time?

[BNBR]

Butlers are designed for marketing, that's about it. They are essentially food runners who bring snacks every day as you know. I don't think it's worth the gratuity, to be honest. You can have them bring you food, like room service in any other non-exclusive cabin, but as you know, they can't bring you drinks on the UBP, but would you really expect that on NCL, lol. I mean, a butler for an exclusive suite, of course they can't just serve you drinks in your room without whacking you on your bill. Making the butler just that much more worthless. Consider Royal Caribbeans Star Class in the future.

[pcakes122]

So maybe some of you butler lovers can give me some ideas of what else you have the butler do besides leave snacks. Would love to utilize them more maybe i just don’t know how!

Why I book suites is that I love that I can *personalize* my cruise to be exactly the type of vacation I want (which varies depending upon whether I am working while cruising, cruising solo or with friends, etc.) Being in the Haven means doing your vacation YOUR way. That can mean in-room dining whenever and how ever often you like - including "mixing & matching" from different restaurants. Do you feel like Italian for dinner but your spouse wants Chinese? No problem in the Haven thanks to your butler! Do you want to eat dinner in the Haven restaurant but want dessert from another venue? Not a problem! Did you eat too much at dinner, but still want dessert - but you don't have room now and you need to make it to a show? Have your butler come and bring your dessert to your cabin "for later." Do you want hot French press coffee waiting in your room at the moment you open your eyes? No problem, just thank your butler. :D Get all the way back to your room and realize you left your sweater in the casino? Not an issue when you have a butler. Want popcorn while watching your free in-room movies on a rainy evening? Your butler would be happy to bring it. And on and on and on. Whatever you want, whenever you want it. As long as you are gracious, patient and pleasant and show your appreciation ($$$), a butler can make you feel completely and utterly pampered and cared for and make your vacation a dream.

 

Some people don't WANT this kind of attention, which actually is great and works out well for those of us who do enjoy the attention. (Imagine if every passenger utilized their butler to the fullest extent - they would be running ragged!) The bottom line is that whatever kind of vacation or attention YOU want, it is available to you with a butler - including if that means leaving you alone!

 

Also, just reiterating something that has been said many times before, but is an important point. The "snacks" the butler brings are not limited to the (unappetizing) daily 4 p.m. canapes or M&Ms and gummy bears (btw I have never heard of people getting so excited over M&Ms and gummy bears as I have seen here on CC :')) Snacks can be anything you want, any time you want. If it is on the ship, you can have it. Whenever.

 

While much of what I mentioned is about food, the butler can do so much more in terms of service. If you remember to take your handheld phone with you when you leave your cabin, you can call your butler anytime from anywhere with a request.

[Sea saw 56]

We cruised the Canal on the Pearl. A day ahead of time, we asked the butler to bring us the (I think it's called) Shrimpers Delight and some finger foods to eat with it for our canal transit. That shrimpers platter has 2 dozen chilled shrimp on an iced platter with lemons and cocktail sauce - for a fee advertised under gifts. Can't remember how much it was. He brought crudités, chips and salsa, cheese, crackers, and grapes AND MORE (cookies, pretzel bread).

Yes we paid for the Shrimp Platter - the rest of the food he brought made us quite a feast that lasted for lunch and through the afternoon. An enjoyable day on the front and side balconies on the front of the ship!

[Smong]

Why I book suites is that I love that I can *personalize* my cruise to be exactly the type of vacation I want (which varies depending upon whether I am working while cruising, cruising solo or with friends, etc.) Being in the Haven means doing your vacation YOUR way. That can mean in-room dining whenever and how ever often you like - including "mixing & matching" from different restaurants. Do you feel like Italian for dinner but your spouse wants Chinese? No problem in the Haven thanks to your butler! Do you want to eat dinner in the Haven restaurant but want dessert from another venue? Not a problem! Did you eat too much at dinner, but still want dessert - but you don't have room now and you need to make it to a show? Have your butler come and bring your dessert to your cabin "for later." Do you want hot French press coffee waiting in your room at the moment you open your eyes? No problem, just thank your butler. :D Get all the way back to your room and realize you left your sweater in the casino? Not an issue when you have a butler. Want popcorn while watching your free in-room movies on a rainy evening? Your butler would be happy to bring it. And on and on and on. Whatever you want, whenever you want it. As long as you are gracious, patient and pleasant and show your appreciation ($$$), a butler can make you feel completely and utterly pampered and cared for and make your vacation a dream.

 

Some people don't WANT this kind of attention, which actually is great and works out well for those of us who do enjoy the attention. (Imagine if every passenger utilized their butler to the fullest extent - they would be running ragged!) The bottom line is that whatever kind of vacation or attention YOU want, it is available to you with a butler - including if that means leaving you alone!

 

Also, just reiterating something that has been said many times before, but is an important point. The "snacks" the butler brings are not limited to the (unappetizing) daily 4 p.m. canapes or M&Ms and gummy bears (btw I have never heard of people getting so excited over M&Ms and gummy bears as I have seen here on CC :')) Snacks can be anything you want, any time you want. If it is on the ship, you can have it. Whenever.

 

While much of what I mentioned is about food, the butler can do so much more in terms of service. If you remember to take your handheld phone with you when you leave your cabin, you can call your butler anytime from anywhere with a request.

Thank you for the suggestions. I still believe the concierge serves us better as we don’t do much eating in the room. I have been to sandals many times with a butler and just feel they are a lot more attentive. I will definitely be taking some of your suggestions on our upcoming cruise and hopefully have a better taste in my mouth for the butler. If not i will continue to rely on the concierge which never seems to fail

[df5250]

We’ve brought guests back to hang out on the balcony and ordered sandwiches and other snacks on the fly. Plates of banana bread or BLT’s every afternoon. even with the beverage package I will order a bottle/ in room bar set up, then have mixers, like island oasis or juices and limes/cherries brought by the butler to enjoy in the cabin or on the balcony!

 

 

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[casofilia]

I hope you don't get the butler we had on the only time we have been in a suite. After only being seen once, or maybe on occasion twice, a day we had THREE extra visits on the penultimate day with "I hope you have been satisfied with the service I provided!!!"

[Smong]

So it seems everyone’s suggestions involve food! Anyone else have any non food related things they have had the butler do that the concierge does not do? 🤷🏻

[yummysbakery]

On the older ships they brought movies for the tv...

 

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[FLcruisergrl]

They can unpack for you and draw you a bath...but not many use these services.

[Two Wheels Only]

So it seems everyone’s suggestions involve food! Anyone else have any non food related things they have had the butler do that the concierge does not do? 🤷🏻

There are different levels of "laziness".;)

 

If you are at the pool but forgot your sunglasses in your suite, call your butler and he/she will get them.

[fiftyguy]

Maybe we've been lucky but we've seen our butler on most cruises more than our conceirage. All have performed their in-cabin duties but also assisted with conceirage duties like making dinner or show reservations. I'm sure they work in tandem with conceirage but our butlers have been attentive to ALL our needs. On our most recent cruise in Hawaii we enjoyed the services of Peter and he was amazing - handling anything we requested, in cabin or outside the cabin.

[RD29P5]

Has anyone seen a list of things that go beyond the ordinary that the butler's can do for suite guests? Yeah we all know that they can and will bring food snacks or full meals, and do waiter service in cabin if desired. I'm sure most of us have no concept of what butler's can do for those who actually have a full time butler. I thought I had read that NCL sends them to some training course, but what does that training entail. I'm just curious.

[Two Wheels Only]

Has anyone seen a list of things that go beyond the ordinary that the butler's can do for suite guests?

Something like tying a tie or shoe for a guest that has Parkinson's, running a bath, or cleaning a pair of glasses are things that a butler can do that the average person wouldn't think to ask. Since few "need" a butler, it's difficult to find a comprehensive list of what they can do.

 

I thought I had read that NCL sends them to some training course, but what does that training entail. I'm just curious.

NCL uses a training standard that is monitored by the International Institute of Modern Butlers. What that covers is unknown by me. :p

[Mikial]

i have stayed in the haven 3 times now and have yet to have our butler do anything other than leave snacks in our room. Now on the other hand our concierge on all 3 sailings has made all reservations for dinner, shows, excursions etc. always someone at the desk with a smiling face. Mostly always available for any question or request i have. So maybe some of you butler lovers can give me some ideas of what else you have the butler do besides leave snacks. Would love to utilize them more maybe i just don’t know how!

 

On our last cruise our butler chased us down to deliver a computer bag that we left in the room as we were disembarking. Ha!

 

Way above and beyond the call of duty...

[Shidah]

When I needed scissors and realized I had none, I asked our butler on the Epic for a pair. Our butler on the GA was the best so far, but I can’t recall his name. But in addition to food, he came down and helped get us new cards when ours stopped working while eating at a specialty restaurant. He also gave suggestions on things to do in port, helped with questions regarding the room, brought wings from O’sheehans for appetizers when ordered, kept us supplied in potatoe chips, pitchers of water and iced tea all the time, and was so friendly.

[dexddd]

Has anyone seen a list of things that go beyond the ordinary that the butler's can do for suite guests? Yeah we all know that they can and will bring food snacks or full meals, and do waiter service in cabin if desired. I'm sure most of us have no concept of what butler's can do for those who actually have a full time butler. I thought I had read that NCL sends them to some training course, but what does that training entail. I'm just curious.

 

Beyond the ordinary? Just be happy if they do what is in their job scope as some have a hard time just doing that.

 

NCL touted "...certified butler training..." a few years back. I can only tell you what a butler told me and that was only 3 actually went to the school.