Can you book a suite without having butler service

It was the response that she could eat with the 17 month old if she paid $99. That is what irritated me. She would still take up a seat in the dining room either way, which was maybe 10% occupied .

I'm sure the $99.00 is to give customers options but acts largely as a deterrent.

It was the response that she could eat with the 17 month old if she paid $99. That is what irritated me. She would still take up a seat in the dining room either way, which was maybe 10% occupied .

Where would you suggest that NCL draw the line, as far as non-suite guest utilizing suite benefits?

We have only had cruises with a balcony, but have wondered whether paying the extra for a suite would be beneficial or not.

Our problem however, is that as far as we can see, a suite comes with butler and concierge service. We could not think of anything worse than to have a butler to look after us and we do not even understand what a concierge actually does.

Does anybody know therefore if you can book an NCL cruise in a suite WITHOUT having butler or concierge service. We would love the extra space without the interference from a butler.

You can use them as much or as little as you'd like, however, they're still going to do services for you (like bring canapés, drinks, extras, special embarkation and disembarkation in ports and back home) and should be tipped to show gratitude

I would bet that they put a $99 charge on there, so it will be a deterrent. They can offer an alternative to the "no" and give the passenger the choice, but I'd bet (and I'm sure NCL probably does as well) that no one would pay that amount. 10% occupied when you were there, but when I've been in Cagney's for breakfast it has been full many times.

 

Where would you suggest that NCL draw the line, as far as non-suite guest utilizing suite benefits?

Wouldn't be a deterrent to me! I'd gladly pay $99 bucks to have breakfast and lunch in Cagneys....it would be a bargain IMHO.

Wouldn't be a deterrent to me! I'd gladly pay $99 bucks to have breakfast and lunch in Cagneys....it would be a bargain IMHO.

Totally agree. I'm pretty sure we could endure dining in Cagney's for only $99/7day cruise and we'd probably take that over the UDP. :p It was our favourite suite perk.

I always love my butler and concierge but have never loved the concierge more than the morning of debarkation when I realized my husband had packed the pants I was planning on wearing home in our luggage that was taken the night before. All shops on board were closed and my husband didn't have on boxers I could wear as shorts. I called Ruth and she showed up in now time with a pair of men's khakis and a man's bathing suit from lost and found. I now had options. Put on the khakis and was on my way.

:)

I always love my butler and concierge but have never loved the concierge more than the morning of debarkation when I realized my husband had packed the pants I was planning on wearing home in our luggage that was taken the night before. All shops on board were closed and my husband didn't have on boxers I could wear as shorts. I called Ruth and she showed up in now time with a pair of men's khakis and a man's bathing suit from lost and found. I now had options. Put on the khakis and was on my way.

thank you, so funny I hope I get Ruth next time:)

I always love my butler and concierge but have never loved the concierge more than the morning of debarkation when I realized my husband had packed the pants I was planning on wearing home in our luggage that was taken the night before. All shops on board were closed and my husband didn't have on boxers I could wear as shorts. I called Ruth and she showed up in now time with a pair of men's khakis and a man's bathing suit from lost and found. I now had options. Put on the khakis and was on my way.

This has to be the WINNER OF POST OF THE MONTH!

Thanks for a good one after a lousy weekend. First paid $185 to ENT doc to tell me "just give it more time ", next paid vet $156 for pup's visit and meds after she threw up on me and had other symptoms (she is ok) and I spent $200 at Firestone on a new tire that split. So, further depleting the cruise fund.

Your post gave me a nice belly laugh I needed.

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If you don't request anything you'll never see the butler after the first day when he'll introduce himself as a courtesy. We never use the butler because we prefer to do stuff ourselves and never have room service. You'll still have a cleaner as usual.

The Concierge is up in the Haven and they are great for getting you into the shows etc before the crowds. Handy for Cirque where you can pick where you sit.

Cabin steward cleans the cabins, not the butler. Personally, I've had room service 1 time in 13 cruises. Have no idea about the OP's reasons but if I were to ever sail in a suite, I would just have no need for those folks myself either.

 

It could have to do with tipping but your opinion is really just a shot in the dark.

Thanks to everyone who helped me with your answers. It appears that you can dispense with the services of your butler if you want to and probably not even see the concierge. As a number of people have said, they just prefer to be left alone in their suite as you would be in an inside cabin. We have never requested room service for anything at all but it was just the thought of being treated as if you were in Downton Abbey.! It certainly has nothing to do with tipping as FootballParent and Triptolemus were trying to intimate

Wouldn't be a deterrent to me! I'd gladly pay $99 bucks to have breakfast and lunch in Cagneys....it would be a bargain IMHO.

This has to be the WINNER OF POST OF THE MONTH!

 

Thanks for a good one after a lousy weekend. First paid $185 to ENT doc to tell me "just give it more time ", next paid vet $156 for pup's visit and meds after she threw up on me and had other symptoms (she is ok) and I spent $200 at Firestone on a new tire that split. So, further depleting the cruise fund.

 

Your post gave me a nice belly laugh I needed.

 

 

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Glad I could help your otherwise sucky weekend. Glad the pup is OK. My daughter-in-law is a vet so I will thank you for supporting that industry.

I always love my butler and concierge but have never loved the concierge more than the morning of debarkation when I realized my husband had packed the pants I was planning on wearing home in our luggage that was taken the night before. All shops on board were closed and my husband didn't have on boxers I could wear as shorts. I called Ruth and she showed up in now time with a pair of men's khakis and a man's bathing suit from lost and found. I now had options. Put on the khakis and was on my way.

LMFAO I cannot wait for my dh to get home from work and read him this. BTW I also can't believe that Ruth is still Concierge we had her back in 2007 and she was wonderful. :)

We have only had cruises with a balcony, but have wondered whether paying the extra for a suite would be beneficial or not.

Our problem however, is that as far as we can see, a suite comes with butler and concierge service. We could not think of anything worse than to have a butler to look after us and we do not even understand what a concierge actually does.

Does anybody know therefore if you can book an NCL cruise in a suite WITHOUT having butler or concierge service. We would love the extra space without the interference from a butler.

Thanks for your post. Its so refreshing to here of another couple like my wife and I.:)

We just sailed in an owner's suite and this is how I handled it.

As for the concierge we did not use her. We called the restaurants directly

and never had any trouble getting the time we wanted. We also called the front desk about shore excursions so basically handled everything ourselves. On the last day of our cruise I did put a tip in an envelope and hand it to the

concierge as she did help us disembark early a few times. It was a decent tip but not as much as if we were calling her every day.

We never, ever called our butler for anything. Since we do realize he brings our afternoon snacks and services the bar and coffee maker we also gave him a tip but not as much as if we had him serve us dinner in our cabin or arrange a dinner party for example. So my guess is that you can't totally do away with the concierge or butler but you certainly can minimize what they do for you. Just remember that they are still doing things behind the scenes and are not included in the service charge.

It would be no problem for you to have a suite and not have the butler interfere with your privacy. As others have pointed out, you can turn the wheel to the red "Do Not Disturb" and they won't. But when you leave the room, say for dinner or a show, remember to turn the wheel to the yellow "Welcome" so that your room steward can do his/her job, and the butler can replensih your coffee and tea supplies and probably leave a treat.

Enjoy!

I called Ruth and she showed up in now time with a pair of men's khakis and a man's bathing suit from lost and found

So she gave you someone else's clothing? LOL I find that a bit strange :eek:

So she gave you someone else's clothing? LOL I find that a bit strange :eek:

Maybe a little but no more strange than a 50 something year old woman getting off a ship being escorted to a limo wearing a t-shirt, panties and tennis shoes. (With her husband and teenage niece and two of her friends following far far behind so as not to be seen with her.) And I did donate the khakis to goodwill when we got home.

We book suites, and I can't imagine NOT using the butler and concierge. I program their extension numbers into the portable phone, which I typically carry around the ship. I might understand not using the concierge, it depends what you like to do on the ship.

The point of both of them is to make it easier on you (and, therefore, make your trip more enjoyable).

There are things you can have your butler take care of that you might not even think of. If you want to make sure something is done in your cabin, and done RIGHT, the butler will make sure of it. An example, the very first time we were in a suite, the television wasn't working. We called engineers. They sent someone who did something, but it wasn't fixed. We called the butler - it got fixed pronto. On our last trip our shower was not draining, leaving the "foot bath"! (I will never understand why the prior guests did not address it). We called the butler as we were leaving the cabin, came back two hours later and problem solved. These types of things are in addition to typical requests, like stocking ice, drink mixers, the occasional breakfast, etc.

As for the concierge, we typically eat in specialty restaurants every night. We don't bother to make reservations until we get on ship. On the first day we provide our schedule for the week to the concierge, and she/he books the week. A neat thing about that is the concierge has your dinner schedule, and the good ones will stop by and say hello once or twice during the trip. I've also been known to change reservations on short notice (using the phone - once from the pier!).

One time DW couldn't get into the spa for a manicure ("we're booked solid"). A call to the concierge fixed that.

In Venice, we were concerned about catching an early flight out to Paris. Talked to concierge, she arranged for a land taxi at the airport, the driver was waiting for us when concierge walked us off the ship. :)

We never had a problem with a butler bothering us. As others have noted, put your DND up and they will not bother you.

Of course, you may be comfortable without these types of things. I look forward to it, and they are worth every penny. :cool:

Maybe a little but no more strange than a 50 something year old woman getting off a ship being escorted to a limo wearing a t-shirt, panties and tennis shoes. (With her husband and teenage niece and two of her friends following far far behind so as not to be seen with her.) And I did donate the khakis to goodwill when we got home.

A very funny story! A good example of using the concierge for things you would not think of - in a hundred years I wouldn't think of that one! :D

Ruth is one of the good ones I mention. I believe it was Ruth who took care of DW's manicure. :)

We book suites, and I can't imagine NOT using the butler and concierge.

 

 

Of course, you may be comfortable without these types of things. I look forward to it, and they are worth every penny. :cool:

It is exactly the reasons that you give as to why we could never have a butler looking after us. We would never dream of asking anybody to do anything for us as we have not been brought up that way. You say the shower was not draining and you called the butler to fix it. Wow!!

In Blackburn which is up North, very few houses have showers and in fact many, (including ours) do not have a bath or an inside toilet. We do however since last year have running water (cold) which is good. There is only the Master of the village who lives in the big house on the top of the big hill, that has hot water. We are basically his servants as he controls the brethren and we always doff our flat caps to him when he comes down the hill.

A concierge ??? We certainly do not have any of that breed in darkest Lancashire:)

It is exactly the reasons that you give as to why we could never have a butler looking after us. We would never dream of asking anybody to do anything for us as we have not been brought up that way. You say the shower was not draining and you called the butler to fix it. Wow!!

In Blackburn which is up North, very few houses have showers and in fact many, (including ours) do not have a bath or an inside toilet. We do however since last year have running water (cold) which is good. There is only the Master of the village who lives in the big house on the top of the big hill, that has hot water. We are basically his servants as he controls the brethren and we always doff our flat caps to him when he comes down the hill.

A concierge ??? We certainly do not have any of that breed in darkest Lancashire:)

Have you ever been to a restaurant?

When you got there, did you ask the server to bring you something off the menu?

Do you think that the server might have asked the chef to cook the meal for you?

Do you think that implicitly somebody was subsequently asked (not BY you, but because of you) to clear your table? To prepare it for the next guest? To wash your dirty dishes?

Have you ever been on a cruise? Do you steer the ship yourselves? Vacuum your own room? Wash your own sheets?

I doubt it, so clearly you're fine with asking people (or having them) to simply do the jobs they've been hired to do.

There's no difference with the concierge & butler. Their jobs are simply to remove some of the day-to-day concerns, obstacles and considerations from the minds of their guests.

They do that by being the go-between for many services, including maintenance. Since the butler is in charge of the cabin, he/she attends to stocking it, replacing any used glassware, re-stocking any used coffees & teas, and coordinating with the ship's maintenance crew in the event that there's a mechanical repair required.

The concierge is simply to there to help you avoid lines, and feel more at ease during your cruise.

These are their roles. By taking advantage of them, you help them justify the need for their employ. In this day & age, that's not a bad thing - many people are looking for jobs.

And I believe I detected a degree of English sarcasm in your description of Blackburn, which according to a Google Maps street view looks quite charming and civilized....notwithstanding the 4,000 holes created by the Albert Hall's acoustical requirements.

Stephen

P.S. Next time the Master drops by... describe yourselves as an autonomous collective, claim you're being represed, and move on. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKIWjnEPNY

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A neat thing about that is the concierge has your dinner schedule, and the good ones will stop by and say hello once or twice during the trip.

Opinions vary on whether that's desirable or not. I don't mind saying hello if the concierge is hanging out with the receptionist at Cagneys and greeting guests there, but I really dislike my dinner being interrupted by forced conversation, especially in a specialty restaurant. I've never really understood the "glamour" of talking to the chef, and our really nice dinner ground to a halt last week when the chef strolled up and wanted us to tell him all about what we had done in Bermuda. I'm sure it makes many people feel special, but frankly we find it annoying. But there's no "do not disturb" sign at the tables in the restaurants ;)

To be fair, I dislike waiters and managers asking "is everything okay" multiple times during meals in restaurants at home, too.

For the OP, we've sailed with a suite 3 times now and never had a meal in the room. We thought we might do it this week, but it just seemed like too much of a hassle to decide when and what and we can always use the exercise anyway. We tend to spend lots of time in the cabin and the do not disturb sign was always respected.

We asked for DVDs for the first time this trip and that was fun - there's a list in the room. Just note the number and let them know and they can leave it for you. Leaving sticky notes is a good way to communicate if you don't want to make a phone call for specific requests that aren't time sensitive.

Don't go into it stressed -- if it makes you feel less self conscious just tell the butler the first day that you're very low maintenance. The concierge will leave you invitations for parties and things that you're free to attend or not. The only time she tracked us down personally was about a tour of the bridge, so you might want to return a call if you get one ;) Otherwise, s/he's not going to come after you.

I've read on cruisecritic about butlers telling people that they needed to ask for more things, but I've never encountered that. We haven't asked for much, we've said thanks for the snacks, called once or twice for dinner reservations, sat in the special area in the showroom, and used early disembarkation. No unpacking, special meals, party hosting, room decorating, bath running, midnight snacking for us!

The large room size and beautiful views are worth it.

Have you ever been to a restaurant?

 

When you got there, did you ask the server to bring you something off the menu?

 

Do you think that the server might have asked the chef to cook the meal for you?

 

Do you think that implicitly somebody was subsequently asked (not BY you, but because of you) to clear your table? To prepare it for the next guest? To wash your dirty dishes?

 

 

Have you ever been on a cruise? Do you steer the ship yourselves? Vacuum your own room? Wash your own sheets?

 

I doubt it, so clearly you're fine with asking people (or having them) to simply do the jobs they've been hired to do.

 

There's no difference with the concierge & butler. Their jobs are simply to remove some of the day-to-day concerns, obstacles and considerations from the minds of their guests.

 

They do that by being the go-between for many services, including maintenance. Since the butler is in charge of the cabin, he/she attends to stocking it, replacing any used glassware, re-stocking any used coffees & teas, and coordinating with the ship's maintenance crew in the event that there's a mechanical repair required.

 

The concierge is simply to there to help you avoid lines, and feel more at ease during your cruise.

 

 

These are their roles. By taking advantage of them, you help them justify the need for their employ. In this day & age, that's not a bad thing - many people are looking for jobs.

 

 

 

And I believe I detected a degree of English sarcasm in your description of Blackburn, which according to a Google Maps street view looks quite charming and civilized....notwithstanding the 4,000 holes created by the Albert Hall's acoustical requirements.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

P.S. Next time the Master drops by... describe yourselves as an autonomous collective, claim you're being represed, and move on. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKIWjnEPNY

 

.

Maybe the best P.S. ever! :D:D

We have only had cruises with a balcony, but have wondered whether paying the extra for a suite would be beneficial or not.

Our problem however, is that as far as we can see, a suite comes with butler and concierge service. We could not think of anything worse than to have a butler to look after us and we do not even understand what a concierge actually does.

Does anybody know therefore if you can book an NCL cruise in a suite WITHOUT having butler or concierge service. We would love the extra space without the interference from a butler.

We were in a Spa Suite on the Epic & we hardly saw our Butler !