Tipping the butler and concierge in the Haven

[Holly g]

There are many different opinions about tipping the butler and concierge in the Haven on NCL. Are they not included in the gratuities already paid up front? 

[ggTexasGal]

9 minutes ago, Holly g said:

There are many different opinions about tipping the butler and concierge in the Haven on NCL. Are they not included in the gratuities already paid up front? 

Butler and Concierge are not included in the Daily Service Charge.

Therefore, most passengers generally tip with cash.

 

If unfamiliar the Daily Service Charges are:

• $20.00 USD per person, per day, for The Haven and Suites;
• $18.00 USD per person, per day, for Club Balcony Suite;
• $16.00 USD per person, per day, for all other stateroom types

[wolft927]

This is a very hot topic, so I will let you know what my wife and I do. We typically will tip our butler $100 upon meeting, we don’t ustilize the butler all that much and honestly as long as the butler meets our very easy needs we will tip another $100 at end. The concierge we only utilize to make dinner reservations the first day and meet to get off the ship before other passengers. We tip them $50 for this. 

[cabincop]

Tipping for butler varies. Some say for 7day cruise $10-15pp a day. Concierge I usually give between $25-50 for a 7day cruise. Depending on how much they help me could be more.  I would never not tip them tho

Edited September 17, 2022 by cabincop

[wezie]

Just curious...what exactly does the butler and concierge do?  One of these days I will be able to experience the Haven.  🙂  I hope...

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, Holly g said:

There are many different opinions about tipping the butler and concierge in the Haven on NCL. Are they not included in the gratuities already paid up front? 

When someone asks, my response is as follows.

 

Tip at the conclusion of the cruise. Normally, on the last day, envelopes for tip are available at the concierge desk. 

 

Butler $10-$15 per day per person in room

Concierge $5-$10 per day per person in room

Room Steward (who gets something from the daily service charge) $5-$10 per day per person in room

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, wezie said:

Just curious...what exactly does the butler and concierge do?  One of these days I will be able to experience the Haven.  🙂  I hope...

[GeezerCouple]

1 hour ago, wezie said:

Just curious...what exactly does the butler and concierge do?  One of these days I will be able to experience the Haven.  🙂  I hope...

 

 

We enjoy getting lots of sliced fresh fruit each day, with a selection that we request.

We typically eat it all, which usually results in the next plate being a platter full, so we sometimes need to ask the Butler to keep to a certain quantity, or we'll be rolled off the ship as cargo!  (We once got a humongous family sized platter... seemingly for some extended family, but it was just the two of us.  Yes, yummy, but... just too much!)

 

And we especially enjoy having meals served in our suite.  Waking up to breakfast each morning, with the smell of coffee and bacon... ahhhh!

Also dinners, especially if we are tired after an excursion, or if there is some terrific scenery we want to watch while eating.

 

There are other miscellaneous requests, enough to make a difference to us.

All but once, the Butler was phenomenal, and we thanked them accordingly.

 

As much as we enjoy the extra space in a suite, we typically care more about the services of the Butler.  It's a really special treat for us. 🙂

 

GC

 

[LaCal]

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

I once asked our butler for peanut M&Ms and gummy bears as snacks and he said they don’t have them and never had 

 

I said that’s funny we had them a few years back….He wasn’t out best butler at all 

 

But others have been Excellent 

[palpieha]

9 hours ago, wezie said:

Just curious...what exactly does the butler and concierge do?  One of these days I will be able to experience the Haven.  🙂  I hope...

 

The minimum the butler does is bring afternoon snacks to your stateroom daily, and refill the Nespresso pods. From there, you can ask for additional things. For example, we ask for fresh orange juice in our mini fridge. The butler makes sure it's always fresh. You can get a dessert at the Haven restaurant "to go" if you're full from dinner but want to eat it later in your room. You don't take it yourself, they give it to your butler who will bring it to your stateroom for later.

 

We haven't tried this, but you can eat meals in your stateroom. The butler will serve your meal all at once, or course by course. You can order it from any restaurant on the ship (specialty restaurants subject to the specialty restaurant charge).

 

There are other things, like unpacking and packing your luggage, or drawing you a bath. Those I would be uncomfortable asking, but they are on the list NCL provides of what they can do, lol.

 

 

The concierge will escort you on/off the ship for priority embarkation and disembarkation. Very useful at GSC where you can get one of the first tenders of the day. They'll also make dinner/show reservations, handle any guest services issues (so you don't have to go stand in line in the atrium), and help with any other issues. Can't find a deck attendant but want to order from the afternoon snack menu? The concierge will take care of it. 

Edited September 18, 2022 by palpieha

[Sailing12Away]

3 hours ago, LaCal said:

I once asked our butler for peanut M&Ms and gummy bears as snacks and he said they don’t have them and never had 

 

I said that’s funny we had them a few years back….He wasn’t out best butler at all 

 

But others have been Excellent 

Just came off the Joy a few days ago and we had both peanut M&Ms as well as regular mini M&Ms. Gummy bears, bar mix, potato chips... any kind of snack you want they'll bring a bowl and refill as needed.

 

Pitchers of juice, iced tea or water in the mini fridge. Free room service for all meals, anytime of the day, from any restaurant you want (specialty ones will incur a fee or use up your credit). If you're too stuffed to have dessert, it can be sent up to the room with the butler so you can go straight from dinner to the shows without having to drop off your slice of cake back at your room first. 

 

Extra blankets/pillows, special pillow requests, egg crate toppers for the bed, swapping outdoor chairs with loungers (if your balcony is large enough to fit), handling laundry requests, etc.

 

Anything within the room, the butler will coordinate and take care of for you - anything outside the room the concierge will help with. Getting on/off the ship at each port - look for the staff with the Haven sign to cut the lines and go straight to your deck through the crew elevators instead of waiting for 1,000 people for the regular elevators. Dinner reservations, go-kart reservations, excursions, fixing your room bill charges... essentially anything you would stand in line at guest services for, your concierge will take care of for you.

 

Most of us don't actually "need" a butler or private concierge, but it's the times in your trip when something goes wrong or not according to plan that it helps tremendously to have them available to you. Anytime you walk past the atrium and see the long line at guest services, shore excursions, or anywhere else... that's when you'll appreciate having a concierge to help with all those things for you.

[HuliHuli]

3 hours ago, LaCal said:

I once asked our butler for peanut M&Ms and gummy bears as snacks and he said they don’t have them and never had 

That is funny as we received the M&M's from our Butler on the Jade in July.  I tipped our Butler $50 upfront for a special request and that set the stage for special services he initiated throughout the cruise, which earned him a larger tip at the end.  Tipping this way gives you the information you need to separate the great butlers from the good or mediocre ones.

[graphicguy]

ON the flip side, I asked NOTHING of my Butler, and told him NOT to bring snacks.  He did anyway.  But, since he really did nothing I requested, and totally ignored those same requests, I did not tip him.

 

Conversely, the Concierge booked all of my dinners, excursions, took care of all of my billing and internet snafus, plus he escorted me on and off the ship, and to all the entertainment and show venues, I tipped him $150 for the week.  I tipped my room steward a $100.

[phissy]

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

YMMV

Unfortunately, this was not the case for our last Haven cruise. May, Bliss to Alaska.  No bar mix available , M & M’s occasionally in observation lounge.

Did receive a plate of cookies. No longer soft and chewy. Very hard.

received one small plate each afternoon with items not at all  what NCL used to provide. Too bad they they seem to be in cost cutting mode. 

As far as tipping…

use what information posters have provided as a guide. Then, do what feels right for your situation.

We tipped our Butler both at beginning and then at end. Also, room steward.
We did not tip Concierge.

He never interacted or introduced himself to us. We had no need for his services and he had no idea who we were. Last morning , he approached us and asked if we were Haven guests. We were waiting for time to disembark.

Edited September 18, 2022 by phissy

[gmbhardy]

I cruise in the Haven often. I would enjoy the experience much more if all tips were included in the cruise fare.

[graphicguy]

16 minutes ago, gmbhardy said:

I cruise in the Haven often. I would enjoy the experience much more if all tips were included in the cruise fare.

Agree.  Celebrity does this.  Fares are higher, but it’s easier to budget.  That said, I tipped my Personal Retreat Concierge (mix of Butler and Concierge) additionally because she was so good in the Retreat on Celebrity.

 

 

[FM]

On 9/17/2022 at 3:19 PM, ggTexasGal said:

Butler and Concierge are not included in the Daily Service Charge.

Therefore, most passengers generally tip with cash.

 

If unfamiliar the Daily Service Charges are:

• $20.00 USD per person, per day, for The Haven and Suites;
• $18.00 USD per person, per day, for Club Balcony Suite;
• $16.00 USD per person, per day, for all other stateroom types

 

NCL should make it clearer to those who choose to stay in the Haven that the daily service charge that one can prepay does not include the butler and concierge. 

[latebloomer56]

43 minutes ago, FM said:

 

NCL should make it clearer to those who choose to stay in the Haven that the daily service charge that one can prepay does not include the butler and concierge. 

Agree with that I saw this on these boards among other things. On board for one trip we had our 88 year old Aunt and she was treated like royalty and not just on her birthday. The service desk gave me cards to have the extra tips I wanted to give them to our account. 

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'm guessing it is to have that spectacular room/lounge/bar/restaurant that is exclusive to the Haven?

 

(disclaimer: I've never set foot in the Haven)

That...and getting front row seats to shows on the ship.  Getting billing issues handled by the Concierges without me having to stand in line at Guest Services.  Getting the Concierges to get my internet/wifi issues taken care of without making a trip and standing in line at the internet desk.  Not having to wait in line at Embarkation and being escorted on and off the ship by the Concierges.   Having the Haven bartenders make me smoky bourbon drinks that I can't get anywhere else on the ship.

 

I could go on and on.....

 

But, I'm a man of few words...

 

😉

[lanceholt]

13 hours ago, LaCal said:

I once asked our butler for peanut M&Ms and gummy bears as snacks and he said they don’t have them and never had 

 

I said that’s funny we had them a few years back….He wasn’t out best butler at all 

 

But others have been Excellent 

Our butler delivered peanut M&M's and gummy bears last week on the Joy....we didn't even ask for them!

 

[Holly g]

Thanks everyone for their input. 

[RocketMan275]

Tip early.

Tip well.

Tip Often.

[BigH2O4Us]

So happy to have found this thread!

We will be in the Haven in October and had no idea what a Butler could bring to the cruise.

We are using cruise credit from March, 2020 - the month we all began to realize just how much our world would changed.  We would have been in Tahiti and Hawaii then, now we will be in Alaska. Same ocean, significantly different trip.

I found all of your comments and suggestions very helpful. We don't think of ourselves as being Butler types but we will see how it goes!

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, BigH2O4Us said:

So happy to have found this thread!

We will be in the Haven in October and had no idea what a Butler could bring to the cruise.

We are using cruise credit from March, 2020 - the month we all began to realize just how much our world would changed.  We would have been in Tahiti and Hawaii then, now we will be in Alaska. Same ocean, significantly different trip.

I found all of your comments and suggestions very helpful. We don't think of ourselves as being Butler types but we will see how it goes!

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

One thing that we do is on early port days (or glacier watching day if we are in glacier bay) is to have our butler serve us breakfast in our suite. There are the steerage-class door tags with "check-the-box" breakfast items. Ignore the boxes and just write down what you want for breakfast. 

 

Eggs over easy, egg white omelet, poached eggs, steak, ham, sausage, bacon, hash browns, breakfast potatoes, mushrooms, grilled tomato, waffles, pancakes, fresh fruit, breads, juices, and a Diet Coke. Your butler will serve it at the time specified on a white tablecloth. 

 

 

Or you can just eat in the Haven Restaurant.

 

 

Edited September 20, 2022 by BirdTravels

[MoCruiseFan]

Tip who you want to tip, tip them when you want to tip them, tip them however much you want to tip them.  Thee is no right, wrong, or suggested amount or method of tipping.


https://www.ncl.com/faq#!#what-about-gratuities
 

Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 20% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 20% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 20% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

End of discussion.