NCL butler - what's the normal performer job expectation?

[dr.d]

Nicely said. So much work is done that goes unseen to make cruising a truly pleasurable, memorable and delightful experience.

 

Relax and enjoy!

[halos]

I believe we would under utilize a butler as well as I can't imagine having someone unpack my clean underwear & pack my dirty ones...

 

 

 

We like to have coffee in the cabin in the morning, but I believe we would make it ourselves in the machine and we always eat in one of the restaurants.

 

 

 

Just can't see how we could keep him gainfully employed so I am really confused on the tipping.

 

 

 

We want to book the suite for the size of the real estate not for the services of a butler.

 

 

 

I don't think I am alone in those thoughts. Am I?

 

 

 

 

 

Us too...except we love the space of a suite and will always book one if $$$ allows. We couldn't care less about the butler and concierge service.

 

The amount of space is amazing, no doubt. I think if my DH and I cruised 'alone' it might be worth it. But we always travel with a group and spend so little time in the cabin...in fact, during that cruise that we had the suite, we probably spent less time than any other cruise.

 

I swore I was going to have the butler unpack for me.... :p Unfortunately, when the time came, I unpacked myself because I felt weird to ask him to do it.:rolleyes:

I think this is totally lame on my part as it IS something they will do as listed as part of their job description.

I think if I were used to this kind of treatement, I would have had NO problem having him do it.

Obviously I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth *sigh* ;):p

Edited March 26, 2013 by halos

[Blondie008]

The one things I ADORE about having a butler is the unpacking and packing. I usually pack any personal items in a small bag within my case - pull that aside, and then let the butler get on with it. That - and packing to come home. There is nothing like on that last evening, leaving it all to your butler to sort out. They make an amazing job of co-ordinating your wardrobe - and when you come home, everything is so oeasy to unpack as the butlers pack so well. We havent booked a suite for our Epic cruise and this will be the one thing I will miss. Get into your suite, go on the balcony with a glass of bubbly, and give the luggage keys to your Butler - love love love it!

We dont use a Butler on a ship as much as we do on land vacation. Aside from morning breakfast and packing.

But - they are a bit like having a "fairy godmother". Only ever had one butler I didnt like and surprisingly, was on a Celebrity ship. He didnt like "answering" to a woman - he had a real attitude problem with me, but was all over my husband (hmmmm go figure)... He was so up himself -

That aside, I have butlers in some resorts world wide who know every factor about us, and if we were to arrive tomorrow, they know what we drink/eat/dress etc.. Some stay in touch and nearly all, have been worth their weight in gold. They have a job to do, (just as we do at home) and they take pleasure in doing it well.

If you have never had your Butler unpack - try it - if youre really paranoid about your "smalls" - put them in one seperate bag - simple as that.

ENJOY!!

Ooooh will I regret not having a suite this cruise.....:confused:

[jaja]

We have been in NCL suites twice... first time we did not use our butler much at all ..he was very very new..and seemed overwhelmed...and we really did not ask much...our second time...we loved our butler..he was very accomodating for the few things we required..but again..we did not ask for much..NEXT cruise..we plan on using the butler more..it is more port intensive and we may wish some meals in suite, extra snacks,etc....to make our days more relaxing...:D

(I always unpack and pack myself...! Just prefer it that way..)

 

We never asked the concierge for anything. (.but always tipped them)..as we know from reading here on CC...they do perform services we benefit from...ie ..priority boarding, tenders, etc..

[Aurora2143]

60 more days and I get to experience this wonderfulness for the first time.

[grtwithntr]

I think this is where there will be confusion. I've heard many a times, that just because you don't use them directly, that tipping would not be required. I still have trouble with what is a reasonable amount myself, but do understand that it's still kind of necessary to.

Tips for Butler and/or Concierge are NOT included in the $12 pp per day service charge. We recommend guests consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.

 

 

We are sailing in a couple of weeks on the Star. After posting a question on CC on how much to tip butler and concierge I received quite a few suggestions. In reading this thread I'm glad to find out that a butler services about 10 different cabins.

 

I'm figuring the daytime butler probably works about 14-16 hours a day for all 7 days I will be using/enjoying his or her services. That works out to a 98 - 112 hour work week. To make the math easy I'll go with an average of a 100 hour work week. If all 10 of the suites he was servicing tipped him $150 total he would make $1500. That's $15 an hour if you don't take into account standard U.S. rules about time and half wages after 40 hours and double time after 60 hours (probably closer to $8 an hour if you did). If the butler spent 9 months (39 weeks) a year working on a ship making $1500 a week they'd make $58,500 a year. That's probably a pretty good wage for where they live, and deservedly so. I'm sure some people tip more and some tip less but I'll be using that as a baseline for my wife and I. If services are "above and beyond" I'll probably throw in an extra $50-$100.

 

As a Suite guest how much I use their services is up to me. How well they perform them is up to them and the cruise line. If I golf at a club that requires a caddy and yet I insist on carrying my own bag and don't ask for any advice on yardages or local advice I'm still gonna tip the caddy. It's not their fault that I don't need/desire their service. It is an expected cost when I booked the reservation and I will have planned it into my budget. To not do so wouldn't be fair to the service individual that got stuck with me instead of the guy that would have used all of their services available and tipped them accordingly.

 

IMO, If you book a suite you can, or should be able to afford to tip the butler and concierge whether or not you use them. Of course there are always good and bad service providers and if my butler or concierge is rude or doesn't perform their duties as very basically expected I have no problem lowering or eliminating their tip entirely. But if I just choose not to use them, I'm still gonna give em a basic tip. It is expected as part of the deal. Just my two cents....

 

I still wonder about the concierge though. Is there only 1 concierge that would be able to take care of all the suites on board which I would think is about 60 on the Star. Does anyone know?

Edited March 27, 2013 by grtwithntr

[WaldosPepper]

...

 

I still wonder about the concierge though. Is there only 1 concierge that would be able to take care of all the suites on board which I would think is about 60 on the Star. Does anyone know?

 

The Concierge also serves all the Platinum Latitudes guests onboard, and they supervise the Butlers. They do have at least one assistant.

[cabincop]

I have seen people so happy to get upgraded to suites but they either don't want to or can't afford to tip butler/concierge. If you can't pay you shouldn't play. There is no excuse for not tipping. It doesn't matter how much you think they make, it is speculative. They work hard tip them period any other situation off a cruise you would tip. Also since they implemented the new platinum program most concierge have at least 2 assistants. Enjoy your cruise tip your staff

[Aurora2143]

I have seen people so happy to get upgraded to suites but they either don't want to or can't afford to tip butler/concierge. If you can't pay you shouldn't play. There is no excuse for not tipping. It doesn't matter how much you think they make, it is speculative. They work hard tip them period any other situation off a cruise you would tip. Also since they implemented the new platinum program most concierge have at least 2 assistants. Enjoy your cruise tip your staff

 

Love your name...Cabincop! :)

[fergusonvt]

We tipped our butler only $50 and our concierge nothing on the Star last year. We saw the concierge only once and never asked her for anything. The butler brought our daily snacks (not what we asked for though) and showed us how to use the coffee machine and maybe replenished the fruit once. The butler service was marginal in my opinion although I'm expecting better on the Sun because I think there are fewer suites.

[dbpowell]

f this is why I like reading CC, We are going on our 3rd cruise and first ever Suite on the Jewel In Dec. So, I have been doing a lot of reading and research on just such the questions that people have been asking in this tread.

My family is also very self-sufficent and don't require much attention but it is nice to know that if we want the extra attention it can happen.

He is one other question, is there any way to know in advance who your butler will be for the suite that we will be getting SF cat. Thanks

[Frick_&_Frack]

He is one other question, is there any way to know in advance who your butler will be for the suite that we will be getting SF cat. Thanks

 

As you get very close to the date, someone may be able to find out; however, the butlers aboard do rotate as well. But, sometimes people can ask to see if the schedule is set for when you sail.

 

Enjoy!

[markf]

recently returned from the GEM and found the butler to be almost not exsitent.

I did order lunch one day and waited close to an hour to get it delivered, which I thought was unreasonable. I never asked for anything after that, and never saw him.

His body language when delivering the lunch for us, said I wished you didnt bother me--the tray is heavy-he was huffing and puffing and i asked if he was ok--

So I was not impressed!!!

[Zimomiller]

Here is a link to an older thread on this topic :

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1415028

[valleyvillage]

The butlers report to the concierge and the concierge reports to the Hotel Director.

If you are not happy with your butler, have a chat immediately with the concierge.

If that doesn't work, talk to the HD. Be sure to meet the HD at the Meet n Greet!

If the butler's services are important to you, that is!

We have always had GREAT butlers who have added a LOT to our experience on NCL and that's why we always take suites now.

If the butler/concierge and priority services and Cagney's don't really matter to you, get a mini suite and save the money. They usually have the same bathroom module as the Penthouses!

[carmie3377]

Glad I found this! We are cruising in a penthouse suite next May and have never sailed in suites before. I don't plan on having him/her pack or unpack but do plan to have a few meals in our room and hope t have snacks dropped off for the kids. We are not high maintenance people but do want to enjoy the basic benefits of a butler. I can't imagine requesting meals be served course by course but am looking forward to dining in our room some :-)

[itravelalot]

We are suite people and because we do it quite a bit, we do not use the butler for meals in the suite, its not that big of a thrill.... It's just room service with a view.. lol ;) I do use the butler for laundry services, if we decide to hold an event in our suite, I will have the butler decorate and set up a food table.. We like to have wine on ice for late afternoon and sometimes our son will order a peanut butter sandwich to the suite... That's about it...

 

We have had really good butlers and others that we never really saw. We are big on the concierge who gets whatever you ask for (within reason).. ..Anoop and Karin on different ships, were outstanding. Knew you by name right away and could do anything. Those 2 cruises stand out as fabulous due to their abilities more so than the butler.

 

My pet peeve (and I have no right really:eek:) is people who get a suite and suddenly think they are royalty and expect the "staff" to jump at a moments notice with no thought to anyone else. We have seen it many times.

 

Suite life is just that, sweet!! Just Remember; the Butlers and Concierges are only human, and tip accordingly.

 

Enjoy!:)

[cabincop]

Love your name...Cabincop! :)

 

thanks I have been in very cabin on a ship but garden villa, plus I am a retired cop lol

[cabincop]

I have to say all but one cruise my butler was subpar but so was the concierge and I realized a butler is only as good as the concierge they represent. At least that is my humble opinion. The butler also supervises the room steward and makes sure he/she does everything correctly. I love having breakfast or even dinner in my room, if you never had it you have to try. I haven't had it course by course but still love it. I am always in a hurry to get t the casino so for me a 2hour dinner is not what I want to do, so quick dinner in my suite and get to a crap table lol. Oh and breakfast in the morning during port days is nice, have coffee on your balcony and get ready for your day instead of rushing to cagneys and using up at least an hour to eat. Of course that's how I look at things, to each their own:D

[Casino Comp Chick]

I really miss getting the newspaper delivered in the mornings. I used to order a British paper as I found them to be really amusing. I wish they didn't stop that but they did. i guess I will have to settle with a daily Soduku & Crossword puzzle.

[Aurora2143]

I've read a few times on here about the butler not wanting to bring you your meals in the room. Can't you just order room service if that's the case?

[cupcake1222]

We were on the Jade at the end of Dec 2010 and the beginning of Jan. 2011 (cruise was over New Years). We had booked a BA (balcony cabin) and 48 hours before we sailed, we were offered an upsell to penthouse 10502 for $700. We took it. I'd read a little about suites, but since we weren't booked in one, I didn't really familarize myself with it.

We flew into Barcelona via JFK and Atlanta. My luggage never made it to Barcelona. NCL did help with tracking it and I finally ended up with my luggage 36hours before we flew home (this was a 9 night cruise, but we were in Barcelona a few days before the cruise, so 11 nights total).

The butler didn't do much for us. He kept getting calls as he was walking us to our room. He walked us in and then excused himself to answer his call. He never came back. I knew we could go to Cagney's and I knew we could order room service (we never did), but that was it. He didn't even show us how to operate the coffee/espresso machine in our room, we knew nothing about the cordless phones, etc. As far as afternoon snacks, we didn't get any and we were charged for a bottle of water that was in our suite when we arrived. We thought it was a perk, but apparently not.

Our room steward took care of EVERYTHING for us. He is the one who kept checking on our luggage, provided us with (free) laundry service daily, and got us bottled water when we asked. He even told us where the concierge was located so we could book a specialty restaurant.

We did call our butler once to ask about touring the bridge. He told us we could arrange it ourselves. He made us feel like we were bothering him, so we never called again. We never even saw him until the morning we were departing. He came to our stateroom as we were leaving and asked if he could help with anything. We were a little shocked because we hadn't seen him for 9 days! We didn't need anything from him and just told him no. I'm sure he was looking for a tip. I may get flamed, but we did not tip him. The tip we had put away for him was given to our room steward. He was the one who took care of us and made sure we had everything we needed.

Despite the butler issue, we did really enjoy our cruise and we loved NCL. We booked the Jewel for this Dec. and we booked in an oceanview room. I LOVED the suite and I know I will miss it and all the room, but as far as a butler, well, you don't miss what you never had!

[beachchick]

I'm afraid my hubby and I frustrated our (Haven) butler. Our usual category is balcony and we are unused to that kind of service. Plus, we're usually so self-sufficient that we felt funny asking for too much. He, on the other hand, wanted to do much more for us. At that time, the Gem-class Haven suites received soda and water (bummer that they don't now) and he made sure our mini-fridge was stocked with our preferred ones. He remembered what treats we liked and brought more of those. He checked in with us a few times every day when he knew we "at home" to see what else we needed. He took care of any issues we had, such as the night we were ignored at a busy Cagney's for 20 minutes and left the restaurant. He immediately phoned to the concierge, who phoned the restaurant. Then he brought us a bottle of wine (compliments of the concierge), took our order, and served us course by course in our suite. And he was really fun to chat with about life, travel, cruising, etc. We always got the feeling that he enjoyed his job and not that he wanted to do more for us to earn higher tips.

 

I have told my hubby more than once that the next time we are blessed with a suite (fingers crossed), we will not be so self-sufficient and will take full advantage of the perk--with the appropriate attitude ("please" and "thank you" are really big in our vocabulary) and tips to match. One thing we would never do, even though it's been listed as a perk, is ask the butler to unpack for us. Aside from the fact that we prefer to put our things away ourselves, we think that is a bit much to expect and just seems a bit too "Upstairs, Downstairs" or "Downton Abbey," if you prefer.

 

beachchick

Edited March 29, 2013 by beachchick

[CrusinCyndi]

Are laundry services included in suite perks?

[Frick_&_Frack]

Are laundry services included in suite perks?

 

No, unfortunately. But, if you are Platinum, you get that perk. I thinks it's the best perk of the Platinum perks!