What do you do about poor butler service?

[logcabin]

I thought that this might be an interesting thread. After reading some recent reviews from Suite/VIP passengers and hearing about their disappointing experiences with their butlers, I thought I’d start this thread. Personally, we are big NCL fans and spend our one vacation a year sailing with them. We always stay in suites for that “extra pampering”. We have had the wonderful opportunity to have Corina as our butler on the Dawn last year. She was, what I thought, an outstanding butler should be. However, what about those who have experienced poor butler service?

 

So, here’s the question. If you find that you have an “inattentive” butler or are not please with his/her service, what do you do about it? Or, what have you done about it? Do you ask for a replacement? Do you just accept it? Do you speak with the concierge? What is the proper way of handling a situation like this? I’d like to hear others comments, opinions and/or experiences.

[CruiseDiva1]

I thought that this might be an interesting thread. After reading some recent reviews from Suite/VIP passengers and hearing about their disappointing experiences with their butlers, I thought I’d start this thread. Personally, we are big NCL fans and spend our one vacation a year sailing with them. We always stay in suites for that “extra pampering”. We have had the wonderful opportunity to have Corina as our butler on the Dawn last year. She was, what I thought, an outstanding butler should be. However, what about those who have experienced poor butler service?

 

So, here’s the question. If you find that you have an “inattentive” butler or are not please with his/her service, what do you do about it? Or, what have you done about it? Do you ask for a replacement? Do you just accept it? Do you speak with the concierge? What is the proper way of handling a situation like this? I’d like to hear others comments, opinions and/or experiences.

 

 

As this will be our 4th cruise with NCL 2nd on the Dawn and 1st in one of the Penthouse Suites I would also be interested in hearing what comments others have.

[shoreguy]

This tread will be interesting. Many seem to just grin and bear it. The protocol is to contact the the concierge and then the Hotel Director. There is no reason you should not receive the level of service expected.

 

I think the first thing to do is communicate with your butler. They are not mind readers. The one time I was not happy I simply took the time to talk to the butler explain in clear detail what I expected. Everything was fine after that.

 

Keep in mind I have only had the chance to experience this level of service 4 times. Thank you upsell desk.

[TrinaLC]

Shoreguy, the Butlers report up through the Concierge? I would have thought more directly into the hotel director.

 

But I agree with your advice, TALK to your Butler. They can't divine what service you want. Some folks don't want any, others want to be waited on hand and foot.

 

Also, be realistic about your cabin level. The Butler will devote more time to the GV, OS etc.

[CruisinMK]

I had a couple breakfasts come very late, it turned out not to matter but I could see how that would bother people when it did matter. I factor in plenty of slack for kitchen issues, the huge distance to kitchen, maybe inexperienced or stressed crew, having to serve many cabins often that want similar times.. Well still went beyond that. :)

 

I planned one shore excursion day to myself, and night before arranged with butler in person for lunch to be delivered to room for handicapped individual. Not even late, nothing ever delivered period. That really disturbed me. Luckily I came back earlier than I had planned on, brought a very late lunch to room from cadillac grill myself...

 

Just in case anyone thinks we are picky complainers, we totally loved the NCL cruise overall and are doing another one soon. Despite my whining above, the butler turned out to be our favorite feature of the suite. Having breakfast in room occasionally is fantastic, leaves more time/energy for active days. We even had it out on the balcony a couple of times.

[CruisinMatt]

I've never had bad service from a butler, but then all I really use him/her for is meal service. Unlike most cruisers, I like to get aways from hustle and bustle so meals in my suite/balcony are something I look forward to.

[riz]

I had very poor service from my butler (Rey Dava)on the Spirit over Christmas. I had nothing to compare it to quite frankly so didn't know any better. I had a hard time reaching the butler (left numerous messages) and finally on day 8 of the cruise saw him and asked him what the best way to get ahold of him was. He was confrontational and asked me "what I wanted"...at that point I wrote him off. Of note....I never wanted room service...never wanted breakfast....we are pretty low maintenance people. We just wanted soda and water put in our fridge...that's all.

 

It wasn't until I met some other suite passengers with a different butler (Armando)...and listening to them rave about how wonderful he was and all of the lovely things he would do for them I got a bit upset. There was less than 48hrs left to the cruise at this point but I spoke to the concierge and expressed my concerns... she was quite upset over it. She had the HD come and see us who apologized and bought us dinner at Cagney's. They also assigned a new butler but by that time it was the cruise end....even thought the replacement (Armando) was very friendly.

 

One thing of note is recent comments on the board about the SAME butler and the EXACT SAME ISSUES we had....carbon copy almost. It amazes me that the same issues exist...a shame really. Perhaps this particular butler is in the wrong occupation. NCL should realize that this reflects on them on all levels.

[riz]

Would anyone make a complaint upon returning ?.....or just have it go down as bad service ?

[greenie]

Would anyone make a complaint upon returning ?.....or just have it go down as bad service ?

 

That's not a bad idea, Riz. Part of me figures "what's the use, my letter will just go into the pile." But it would make me feel better because I think it's an important issue to be addressed for the happiness of future cruisers.

 

I am not looking for NCL to do anything other than make it right for future cruisers. Perhaps I will just send them my Butler Non-Chunk, tweaked a bit into letter format.

 

Can someone tell me who best to write to? And how to contact him/her/them? :confused:

 

Thanks in advance.

[seahorse]

That's not a bad idea, Riz. Part of me figures "what's the use, my letter will just go into the pile." But it would make me feel better because I think it's an important issue to be addressed for the happiness of future cruisers.

 

I am not looking for NCL to do anything other than make it right for future cruisers. Perhaps I will just send them my Butler Non-Chunk, tweaked a bit into letter format.

 

Can someone tell me who best to write to? And how to contact him/her/them? :confused:

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Greenie.......send the entire "chunk" to cveitch@ncl.com and cc it to

astuart@ncl.com. e-mail , I feel is the way to go.

[greenie]

Thanks, Seahorse. I really appreciate the info.

 

QUESTION: Do you have a general suggestion as to what sort of "title" in the subject box would be most effective? I don't want them to think "another whiner here :rolleyes: " but I do want them to read it!

[SailAways]

Why would anyone pay extra for this service, then not take the time to explain to their butler exactly what they are expecting, if it has not already been provided for them?

 

People seem to find it easy enough to complain about all of the small stuff, why not for the more expensive luxuries?

 

Personally, I will not ever have a butler, unless the upsell fairy is feeling extremely generous.

 

If I ever do experience this luxury, I shall expect to be pampered and spoiled for the duration of the cruise.

[logcabin]

Greenie: Perhaps a brief exlination of the email to them first. Something in the subject title explaining that you are a devoted NCL customer and you feel they should be aware of this, etc. Suggest that they visit the CC boards to read this thread, etc. There are a lot of us devoted NCL customers who enjoy their ships, product and services. However, are disappointed in certian butlers.

[CruisinMatt]

If I ever do experience this luxury, I shall expect to be pampered and spoiled for the duration of the cruise.

 

Why would you expect that??? I'm just curious. :confused:

 

I'd had butlers on several lines and never felt pampered or spoiled........

[UKDeb]

I'll be in a Romance Suite on the Jewel in a little over 7 weeks. As far as I'm concerned, I've paid extra for a nicer cabin - the Butler just happens to come as part of the package. I've got absolutely no idea what he does and, in fact, I'd probably prefer to be left alone! :p

[greenie]

Why would anyone pay extra for this service, then not take the time to explain to their butler exactly what they are expecting, if it has not already been provided for them?

SailAways, we spoke to Rey several times, explaining what specifically we needed, wanted, expected. Didn't make it happen though! :(

[riz]

I second that one Greenie.

 

Rey came to see us on the first day and I asked him specifically what to expect as I had never had a butler before. He went over everything and we never saw him after that.

 

Days later when I was never able to get ahold of him I finally ran into Rey and asked him how to best get ahold of him ...also revisited why and when I should call him. He at that point got confrontational. When I asked for the 5th time to fill my fridge with water and soda he got snarky with me and said "perhaps your travel agent neglected to tell you that these things are not included in your cruise"...I abruptly told him that I was well aware that there was a charge for these things but didn't realize it would be such a production for my butler to put them in my fridge.

 

At that point I wrote him off.....

[SailAways]

Why would you expect that??? I'm just curious. :confused:

I'd had butlers on several lines and never felt pampered or spoiled........

 

Sorry, I should have put the little :rolleyes: at the end.

Many reviews of those who have stayed in suites, and above, use these very words - "pampered and spoiled" to describe their experience.

I don't quite know how to respond to your confusion and curiosity other than this.

Just a simple statement on my part, which I don't feel was unusual - But, perhaps so, who knows?

 

I certainly did not mean that I would want my grapes peeled, or any other extra services other than those which would usually be provided by a butler.

 

Actually, I felt pampered and spoiled while in the inside cabin!!!

What would be pampering to me may be something entirely different than what others would expect.

Different levels of expectations and pleasurable experiences for us all, I suspect.:)

[logcabin]

I feel as though I have to express my expectations for the butler and conceirge. My wife is a teacher. I am in a customer services type field. She deals with high school kids all year, I deal with the public in general. We only have time for one vacation a year. We always book suites becuase we prefer the nicer and larger cabins with larger balconies. We don't hang around the pool much nor do we participate in activities. We go on a cruise to relax and kind of "get away" from people, in general. We spend a lot of time on our balcony and always book aft suites/balconies for this reason. So, having said that, this is the reason why the conceirge and butler are so important to us. We are not high maintenance by any means. However, if we are lounging on our balcony in the afternoon and would like a drink, it's nice to be able to call the butler to deliver that. We enjoy breakfast each morning in our suite to avoid the breakfast crowds. It's nice to have that delivered and served to us. We often have at least one dinner on our balcony. He appreciate the VIP tender tickets (avoiding the crowds), we enjoy having the concierge escort us to a reserved section in the theatre for shows (avoiding the crowds). We enjoy late dinners in the specialty places and having the conceirge make sure we get a window seat each time. We enjoy the VIP parties with the crew and captain. We don't stay out late at night in the discos or casino. We prefer to retire early and relax by the moonlight on our balcony and enjoy being able to call the butler for drinks, snacks, a bottle of wine or something. And, trust me, good service by these individuals gets rewarded with a good tip. So, as you can see, we spend the extra money specifically for the larger/nicer suite as well as the Butler and Conceirge. We just expect good service for what we are paying.

[watchdiva]

Lucky - our most recent NCL cruise was the inagural year for the Dawn when it still sailed out of Miami. We had an AB and the butler was truly outstanding! If I could have packed Denny into my suitcase and brought him home with me, I would have. He took the most incredible care of my husband and I and met with us the first day to introduce himself, explained to us how best to contact him and showed us how to use the portable phone while around the ship. He came in each morning after the room stewards cleaned the suite to make sure that everything was done to his expectations.

 

If you are ever lucky enough to have Denny as your butler, he will make your cruise experience super-special.:)

[blairmann]

Interesting thread, we just got back from the star. we were sold an upgrade to an AB penthouse, with butler service. i wish that there was a letter, or description on the website as to what a butler does, and what to expect. she did not tell us what she would or could do for us. breakfast was delivered in morn just fine, although she always looked harried. we called her for lunch and she appeared, but we obviously woke her up. so we felt that lunch was out. after that we kind of felt like we were bothering her.

if they are to fill a function, then NCL shouldn't assume that all whom are lucky enough to get a room with butler service, know what that means. they might sell a few more of these rooms if they would explain what that butler will do for the customer. we had a great time, but i feel like we missed a little of what we had coming.

[seahorse]

Thanks, Seahorse. I really appreciate the info.

 

QUESTION: Do you have a general suggestion as to what sort of "title" in the subject box would be most effective? I don't want them to think "another whiner here :rolleyes: " but I do want them to read it!

 

How about..........LAWSUIT PENDING:eek: :D Just kidding.

Suite passenger disappointed.

Or....... Repeat Suite Passenger Disappointed

[greenie]

I feel as though I have to express my expectations for the butler and conceirge. My wife is a teacher. I am in a customer services type field. She deals with high school kids all year, I deal with the public in general. We only have time for one vacation a year. We always book suites becuase we prefer the nicer and larger cabins with larger balconies. We don't hang around the pool much nor do we participate in activities. We go on a cruise to relax and kind of "get away" from people, in general. We spend a lot of time on our balcony and always book aft suites/balconies for this reason. So, having said that, this is the reason why the conceirge and butler are so important to us. We are not high maintenance by any means. However, if we are lounging on our balcony in the afternoon and would like a drink, it's nice to be able to call the butler to deliver that. We enjoy breakfast each morning in our suite to avoid the breakfast crowds. It's nice to have that delivered and served to us. We often have at least one dinner on our balcony. He appreciate the VIP tender tickets (avoiding the crowds), we enjoy having the concierge escort us to a reserved section in the theatre for shows (avoiding the crowds). We enjoy late dinners in the specialty places and having the conceirge make sure we get a window seat each time. We enjoy the VIP parties with the crew and captain. We don't stay out late at night in the discos or casino. We prefer to retire early and relax by the moonlight on our balcony and enjoy being able to call the butler for drinks, snacks, a bottle of wine or something. And, trust me, good service by these individuals gets rewarded with a good tip. So, as you can see, we spend the extra money specifically for the larger/nicer suite as well as the Butler and Conceirge. We just expect good service for what we are paying.

 

logcabin, all I can say is that we must live in parallel worlds! :eek: You and your DW could be me & Joe. We feel absolutely the same way about everything you said here! Thanks for expressing my feelings on this for me. ;)

[logcabin]

I have to say that the recent Butler reviews on the Spirit do concern me. As I have said, we are devoted NCL customers. But, becuase we have had tremendous service in the past by our butler and conceirge. And, very good food. But, I keep hearing about "cut backs" in quality and service. This is really concerning me. When you only get one vacation a year, you want it to be special. We came real close to booking the New Princess ship out of NY this summer. But, decided to stay with NCL because of our past experience. We don't fly, so NYC is our best option for ports. However, all indications are that the cruise competition is going to get heavier in NYC in the near future. What with RCCL, HAL, Princess, Costa, CCL, etc. There will be a lot more choices soon and it seems foolish for NCL to be cutting back at this point. I just hope we're not disappointed as we are so lookng forward to our Spirit cruise in July.

[greenie]

How about..........LAWSUIT PENDING:eek: :D Just kidding.

Suite passenger disappointed.

Or....... Repeat Suite Passenger Disappointed

 

I sent it already, thanks. The one I decided on was kind of long! :o

"Big Fan of NCL! Would like to share a concern..."

 

Maybe that's a dumb one, but whatever, it's done!