Butler Letter

[AlexandNessa]

Who knew leaving your butler a note was so controversial? I guess only on Cruise Critic. 

 

Sailed with a butler 9x. Didn't leave a note 3x and 2 of those 3 did not go well. 

 

Time #1: Spoke with butler of our likes on embarkation. Ignored. Pretty much got standard issue treats every day that went untouched. 

 

Time #2: Didn't need to as it was a repeat butler with us. Everything was great. 

 

Time #3 (& 9th cruise with butler): butler insisted on a sit down meeting with us to explain his services and he took notes. Guessing he didn't understand his own handwriting because we had to resort to leaving notes "please no more tuna sandwiches; they only go to waste." We've never asked for tuna ever (yuck) & yet he left them 3 days in a row, all the while never leaving any of our preferences except for potato chips, which we like occasionally, but not every day. We had to leave another note to please mix it up as we'd had our fill of chips. 

 

Leaving a short note works for us. I'll wear a scarlet N for Note Leaver so you can be offended by my style in person on the ship. 

 

We don't always see our butler, and our issues are never enough to call and take them away from what they're doing. 

[pcakes122]

12 minutes ago, Peachypooh said:

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.

This is appreciated because not everyone who enjoys pampering is obnoxious, needy or disrespectful.  It seems that the folks in this thread who don't or wouldn't enjoy butler service have life experiences that would cause them to be triggered by even the thought!  However, that can be said for both sides.  For example, one of my personal challenges is that I had always done everything myself from a very young age and was extremely proud of my independence and ability to rely on myself.  To my detriment.  When I became disabled I truly struggled because I was unable to let ANYONE help me to do ANYTHING because I just was too proud (and judgmental of "needy" people) - and ultimately my condition worsened because I couldn't manage it alone.  I have had to learn over time that it is OK to let others help you - it doesn't mean you are lazy, a bad person, needy, demanding or a burden.  It's been a journey getting to the point where I can feel comfortable asking for assistance when I need it - and my quality of life has improved dramatically as a result.  I LOVE having a butler on vacation because I can TRULY RELAX and I don't feel guilty about being pampered and spoiled one single bit! 😁

[drvmywifecrzy]

So how many of you give pre-cruise requests to your butler?

[NLH Arizona]

1 hour ago, drvmywifecrzy said:

So how many of you give pre-cruise requests to your butler?

Don't give them to the Butler, give them to the pre-Concierge.

[drvmywifecrzy]

14 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

Don't give them to the Butler, give them to the pre-Concierge.

Whoops ok 

 

How do you tell the pre-concierge?

 

What kinda stuff do you ask for pre-concierge?

[NLH Arizona]

2 minutes ago, drvmywifecrzy said:

Whoops ok 

 

How do you tell the pre-concierge?

 

What kinda stuff do you ask for pre-concierge?

You can call: 1-855-625-4283.  I tell them to empty the fridge, no snacks unless requested, pitchers of iced tea and ice water.  Some have no had much success on their requests, but mine have all been there upon embarkation.

[fiftyguy]

I’ve always had pretty good luck with my special requests. I know the butler has my requests (seen notes from pre-concierge desk) but the first day is hectic (for them) so I give them a day to do set up.

We usually ask for extra coffee and cream since we use a lot of both. We have specific requests for snacks which have always been honored. We ask for freshened ice bucket three times a day. There have been other requests but the only one we can’t seem to change is the designated snack of the day. We don’t like many of them and hate to see wasted food. They still show up.