Butler Letter

[elwood_98034]

3 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

Ok, I just added gummies to my Haven list for November 🤣😂

Get the pineapple ones. They are really good.

[pcakes122]

1 hour ago, GA Dave said:

 If us asking for a few simple services from the Butler is making them a slave, then that person is in the wrong line of work.

I think asking for services is just fine.  I do ask my butler to "fetch" things.  (I am disabled and travel with a mobility scooter as well as a rollator (walker/chair.)  I can't sit in the (low) "regular" chairs, so prefer to sit in the rollator at dinner or in the casino.  If I am having dinner in say, Le Bistro, I drive my scooter there and ask the butler to bring the rollator down.  Yes, I admitted already that I am "high-maintenance". 😉

 

That said, I do think it may be the written instructions to which folks are reacting.  I do think it's less personal and more "here's your chores."  I'm sure the butler finds it very helpful to know your preferences, but in my experience they do take their own notes.

[ollienbertsmum]

On 6/21/2019 at 7:10 AM, elwood_98034 said:

I would be too embarrassed to ask for any of that sort of thing.

 

Me too.  That is why I am best in my own little balcony room, running up and down stairs keeping fit whilst I get my own snacks.  No Gummy Bears in sight.  

[FLcruisergrl]

5 hours ago, JOHNHOWARTH2 said:

I cannot believe that just because you are obviously rich and spend that kind of money on a cruise,you have the right to demand what you wanted to the slave,sorry servant or butler. Is this really how the high society actually live?

It’s their JOB and nothing REQUESTED on that poster’s list is outside the lines of standard requests. They are generally well compensated for the services that they provide, through tips (oh, that’s right, not everyone tips...) and base salary. I personally don’t leave a list, but prefer to speak to the butler in person. However, I can see why some (both passenger and butler) would prefer a list. 

Edited June 23, 2019 by FLcruisergrl

[Jojo27]

Next time you are on an NCL cruise, in the Haven or not, ask the hotel director what are the duties of a butler in a Haven suite and they will tell you,  want ever the Haven guests wants.  Would I have them unpack my clothes, no, but leaving them a note or telling them your preferences is what they expect.  You can use their services as little or as much as you like. We always  tell them what we like for snacks so we don't waste food.   Same goes with the type of coffee we like, nothing GA Dave said in his note to the butler is rude or disrespectful.  Butlers cover many rooms and often a note is easier on them vs having someone call them 24/7 with requests and having them run room to room.

[careyayn22]

I haven’t stayed in a suite or Haven, but I do think so much depends on tone. Beyond finding the correct tone, the rest is how you perceive the role and relationship between you and the service staff. 

 

For me, I don’t think I would leave a note for anything other than “needs” or maybe a couple very strong preferences. To me, these should be things you need/really strongly  want, the entire cruise. One time things should be communicated orally. I like a tone that makes it sound more like a partnership rather than master/servant relationship. 

 

I might say something like: (totally made up)

 

Hi we are the “Smiths” and we are looking forward to our first stay in The Haven and getting to see Alaska again from the point of view of a NCL cruise ship. 

 

We are fairly low maintence and do not wish to give you additional work, but we do have a couple things we will need. First, Joey, our eleven year old, is allergic to peanuts. So, please make sure our snacks are not nut based. 

 

Also, Tim, my husband, has a CPap machine. We would really appreciate a pitcher of fresh water every day for that and to take our medications. 

 

Finally, we do have a couple preferences. Suzy, our fourteen year old, really dislikes the smell of seafood and fish, it possible, we would prefer not to have seafood snacks in our  room. Also,  we love chocolate covered fruit, so whenever that is available, we would love that as an afternoon treat, but we completely understand this may not work out depending on availability. 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  We appreciate all you do and look forward to getting to know you a bit more this week.

 

See you around,

 

the SMiths. 

[elwood_98034]

3 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

 

Me too.  That is why I am best in my own little balcony room, running up and down stairs keeping fit whilst I get my own snacks.  No Gummy Bears in sight.  

I would love a balcony room. Looove. Big balcony, a comfy chair, ugg boots, a big mug of hot cocoa, and my pad loaded with books. 

 

But we have two kids. We only booked the Haven so we don't all kill each other.

[fallujahkid]

Gummy worms I understand.  But a bear? Is it supposed to be a fetal bear?

[elwood_98034]

17 minutes ago, fallujahkid said:

Gummy worms I understand.  But a bear? Is it supposed to be a fetal bear?

What on earth is a fetal bear?

[Von & John]

After reading so many comments regarding Gummy Bears and M&M's...

I had to get up from our screen porch, walk into the kitchen & grab a handful of peanut M&M's

🤣

[elwood_98034]

13 minutes ago, Von & John said:

After reading so many comments regarding Gummy Bears and M&M's...

I had to get up from our screen porch, walk into the kitchen & grab a handful of peanut M&M's

🤣

Chokito. Cherry Ripe. British Mars Bar. Australian Redskins. Chocolate Smarties.

 

Take a look. Report back 🙂

 

[Von & John]

23 minutes ago, Von & John said:

After reading so many comments regarding Gummy Bears and M&M's...

I had to get up from our screen porch, walk into the kitchen & grab a handful of peanut M&M's

🤣

 

2nd Round...

Handful of Peanut M&M's and...  a Margartia

Gorgeous Sunny Day in Talkeetna 🙂

[trivimp]

I am still trying to work out if post number 8 is meant as a joke or not. 

[JOHNHOWARTH2]

4 minutes ago, trivimp said:

I am still trying to work out if post number 8 is meant as a joke or not. 

Exactly why would you consider the post a joke. The poster is obviously concerned at the level of requests that passengers appear to ask from the NCL employee.Does the title of butler really mean that he/she should be treated like a dogs body?

[gizfish]

Two things...every time I have been in the haven, I have made a list of our preferences/requests for myself to refer to when I was letting the butler know about them when he introduced himself.  Each time the butler has requested I just give him the list to save time and so he could be sure to accommodate us.  Seems they don't mind and actually prefer a list.  Secondly, regarding making requests of the butler being compared to having a slave.  That is just nuts.  In the premium you pay to stay in the haven, you are paying for the services of the butler. Saying this is demeaning or treating them like a dog would be like saying if someone were fortunate enough to have a maid, it would be demeaning to request they dust or clean the fridge.  There is nothing demeaning in asking someone to do what they are hired to do.

[GA Dave]

It is amazing that someone from the UK finds the use of a Butler for the fore-mentioned tasks so outlandish, considering the fact that the job first became common in British households in the 17th and 18th century.  I am sure the entire Royal Family employs hundreds, if not thousands, of people in that role.  So why is it so distasteful when a company employs them on a cruise ship for their guests?

[Greenpea2]

39 minutes ago, JOHNHOWARTH2 said:

Exactly why would you consider the post a joke. The poster is obviously concerned at the level of requests that passengers appear to ask from the NCL employee.Does the title of butler really mean that he/she should be treated like a dogs body?

Wow! Have a margarita and some peanut M&Ms. you will feel better!

[elwood_98034]

I am very uncomfortable with the entire Butler thing. We have had it before on the Sun, and it made me feel uncomfortable then too. It brings back bad memories for me.

Let me tell you a story. In early 1980's I was a 15yo sailor in the Royal (+ the name of another country's) Navy. We used to get fed what we called SCR (another country) N. That stood for Sheet (spelling) Cooked by the R (another country) N. The food was of very low quality. We all became severely bloated because it was all high fat, high carb, high salt, zero green vegetable or fruit, crap. Salad? Never. Every couple of weeks they would bring out a big can of what they called 'Limers'. It was a citrus drink of some sort we were were given in lieu of fruit to stave off scurvy. We used to fight for it. My renal function even went right off. I was warned to lay off the fried potatoes. The cooks used to steal the best food and take it home. I actually saw that happen. They were also often drunk - especially on the weekends. I used to take home $50.50 per week, for a usually 70 hour week. One time I needed to send a letter to my ships Captain. I had to address him as 'My Lord and Master'. I was 'Your Faithful Servant'. I thought I was back in the 18th Century on the Bounty. Arrr Matey...

So, anyway... The Duty that everyone used to try to get, but was reserved for the more senior guys was Cafe Party for the Officers Mess. We were shore based, but they still called it a Ship. I did that Cafe Party two times when an older guy that I bunked in the same cabin (yes, he did try to do that too) wanted a night off, and he made me do his Duty for him. We were never actually allowed inside the Officers Mess, nor to actually be seen, or talk to any of them. They were gods to us. We just hung around out the back in the loading dock, and the Cooks would bring out the trash for us to put in the garbage cans. The deal was, if there were 12 Officers for dinner, the Cooks would pre-make 12 lobster, 12 steak, and 12 chicken dishes. Because the Officers couldn't actually wait while their meal was actually cooked... The Cooks used to take most of what the Officers didn't eat home for themselves, so we never saw any lobster or anything like that, but we used to eat from the other leftovers. One guy said that he once got a piece of steak, but no one believed him. That was the first time in my life that I ever had asparagus or garlic bread. They were two things that used to hold together quite well in the garbage. We actually used to fight each other for the garlic bread. That was the best. We didn't have proper cold weather uniforms. We used to wear cotton pants and shirts, and because it was pretty much winter in the Southern Hemisphere, it would be down to around 3 or 4 degrees Celsius. We were freezing. And then these big garbage cans full of hot trash would come out through the flappy rubber doors...

 

True story.

 

BTW, A couple of years later my Captain was transferred out, and a few years after that the entire place was closed down. There were a few official investigations and court cases, but nothing ever came of it. No one ever asked me what I saw.

Edited June 23, 2019 by elwood_98034
Typo

[elwood_98034]

53 minutes ago, trivimp said:

I am still trying to work out if post number 8 is meant as a joke or not. 

No. I wasn't joking. Not in the slightest.

[elwood_98034]

20 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

It is amazing that someone from the UK finds the use of a Butler for the fore-mentioned tasks so outlandish, considering the fact that the job first became common in British households in the 17th and 18th century.  I am sure the entire Royal Family employs hundreds, if not thousands, of people in that role.  

What I said.

[Laszlo]

8 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

This really is funny and does make total sense!  At least airplane peanuts are WRAPPED.  What blows my mind about the gummy bears and M&Ms is that they are served open in BOWLS - like, how many dirty, germy hands have been digging in that bowl before you got it?

OMG, Glad someone else thinks like me. The had a couple bowels in the lounge on the Escape. One bowel on the bar. People would just scoop them up with their hands.........Soooo Gross.........NO Spoons out

 

 

[elwood_98034]

8 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

OMG, Glad someone else thinks like me. The had a couple bowels in the lounge on the Escape. One bowel on the bar. People would just scoop them up with their hands.........Soooo Gross.........NO Spoons out

 

 

I really hope that my bowel never ends up on the bar.

[Shoppie124]

12 hours ago, JOHNHOWARTH2 said:

I cannot believe that just because you are obviously rich and spend that kind of money on a cruise,you have the right to demand what you wanted to the slave,sorry servant or butler. Is this really how the high society actually live?

NCL advertises the service.  It’s not about demanding, it getting what you pay for.  

 

• Skip the lines and be personally escorted on and off the ship at the pier and at ports-of-call
• Complimentary limousine service from pier to airport (for Garden Villa guests)
• 24-hour trained and certified suite butler. From unpacking your suitcase to pouring your champagne our butlers are at your service
• Concierge service to help you book dining, entertainment, shore excursions and more
• Courtyard attendant to take care of all your cold towels, fresh fruit, and sun deck refreshment needs
• White tablecloth in-suite dining
• Evening turndown service

[KateQ22003]

I would never leave a list of requests for my butler; I prefer to tell him/her face-to-face. In my experience, they take copious notes when you first meet them. For other things I think of, I leave a post-it on the table.

[Peachypooh]

Growing up in a household where both my parents worked, from the age of 12,  I

learned how to do almost anything related to running a household and taking care

of my 5 younger siblings. At the start of the week I would be given the week's food

money , be expected to make a menu,  shop for groceries, bring them home and cook. I brought our clothing

to the laundromat. Obviously I lived in a town that was walkable.

Why am I telling you this? It is because I learned how to fend for myself and felt guilty if anyone

ever did anything for me.

Fast forward and now I am a senior citizen. I have slowed down and sometimes it is nice to ask

the butler to leave some tea bags so I don't have to trek up to the garden cafe for them.

Or please leave their wonderful BLT's in the room on the days we are in port and would like

a snack when we get back to the ship but I am too tired to fetch something from the garden

cafe.Once I was in a 

air conditioned part of the ship and was freezing and forgot my sweater. Did I call the butler to

get it for me? No I didn't, I went and got it myself.

I just couldn't as I would have felt too uncomfortable. As a result our butlers usually call us and say we are so

quiet is everything OK? LOL We cruise in the Haven for the extra space and priority boarding. But

the butler??? I understand that it is his job but I just try to do as much for myself.

By the way, since it is his job I have no problem with people asking him to do things NCL advertises

he or she does. It is just not for me.