Butler Service in the Haven

[KeithJenner]

15 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

a mini bar is very different from a Butler, a Butler has been hired to do a specific job and some feel by dismissing him or her, you are taking away their job. My question simply is, if someone has the option of simply asking for that person not to be there while making the reservation it saves time and grievance for dismissing that person , hence my original question. I get what you are saying, i am going by threads of people who have said they would consider the Haven if they can get rid of the Butler completely. If someone wants the Butler they have nothing to worry about, this is meant as a hypothetical scenario for those who don't.

I suppose that the problem is where you stop with the options.

 

I have been contributing to this discussions despite the fact that I don't stay in the Haven. I sometimes books a suite on older ships because I like the bigger room and breakfast in Moderno without some of the things I wouldn't pay extra for (i.e. the Haven itself). On those ships there is small element of choice. The Joy offers suites that don't have Haven access or Butler service (I think), but I would be a bit reluctant to book them as they don't have access to the suite breakfast.

 

If there was an option to not have the Butler and Concierge then I would certainly tick that box, if only to avoid wasting their time (and I wouldn't complain if the fruit bowl was in the wrong place).

 

If we follow this idea right through then you would end up with a menu of choices, which would present issues in itself. For that reason I would prefer just a few categories, and you select what works best for you. We aren't a million miles away from that now.

Edited September 12, 2022 by KeithJenner

[RocketMan275]

47 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

 

 

 

Question is - would a US consumer really be put off by the higher 'base' price? I guess the answer is yes, or the model would have changed years ago. 

 

There is also the fact that there have been several surveys of service employees that showed an overwhelming preference for the current model.

[spanishguy1970]

3 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

I suppose that the problem is where you stop with the options.

 

I have been contributing to this discussions despite the fact that I don't stay in the Haven. I sometimes books a suite on older ships because I like the bigger room and breakfast in Moderno without some of the things I wouldn't pay extra for (i.e. the Haven itself). On those ships there is man element of choice. The Joy offers suites that don't have Haven access or Butler service (I think), but I would be a bit reluctant to book them as they don't have access to the suite breakfast.

 

If there was an option to not have the Butler and Concierge then I would certainly tick that box, if only to avoid wasting their time (and I wouldn't complain if the fruit bowl was in the wrong place).

 

If we follow this idea right through then you would end up with a menu of choices, which would present issues in itself. For that reason I would prefer just a few categories, and you select what works best for you. We aren't a million miles away from that now.

so true. 👏

[pcakes122]

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

I had asked a question about how I would like the fruit bowl up on the counter and she told me she would be penalized it it wasn’t on the table in a specific orientation. 

I truly do not understand this. I always have the fruit bowl (with the fruit that has been there for Heaven knows how long lol) removed.  I also rearrange a bunch of stuff (including furniture lol) and my room steward has never put it back to its original place during my cruise.  Are we sure that person wasn't just having a bad day or maybe they were new?  I can't imagine why there is a specific placement for the fruit bowl during a cruise or anything for that matter -  and how would the Concierge even know things were moved?  The ONLY way this makes sense to me is on cabin turnover day when new passengers are arriving. But keeping anything in the same place all week makes no sense.

[Yesimapirate]

Other than my first cruise,  which was a 4 day booze cruise,  we've had butler service on all of our NCL cruises.

 

We generally use very little of their services.   However,  I think it's foolish to blow them off and tell them you don't want to see them.  Most are very seasoned professionals.  Simply having a conversation with them and treating them like human beings can be a great reward.  They have knowledge of some of the ports that many of us can only dream of.   Additionally,  when you have minor issues,  they can often resolve them faster than going through official channels as most of the crew know people in other departments.

 

On our first cruise with a Butler, she refused to bring a pitcher of water and told my wife (who's diabetic) that she won't bring her anything sugar-free for the afternoon snacks.   We met with the hotel director and she was promptly removed  and replaced by someone who was magnificent.  The conversations with him were some of the highlights of our trip.

 

On our last cruise on the Epic, my Starbucks addicted wife became close with one of thr baristas who happened to be married to a Haven butler.  While we didn't request anything out of the ordinary,  multiple butlers would stop us just to ask if everything was OK or what they could do to make it better.  Again,  the service was outstanding and those tips and interactions were highlights of the trip.

 

As the old saying goes,  don't ever be the smartest person in the room or you'll never learn anything.   These butlers are far smarter than we are when it comes to ship and port knowledge. 

[graphicguy]

19 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Would the forfeiture of service mean a discount in price?

Do you mean that butler service could be an option to select like FAS options?

 

 

Yes.

Haven is not “a la carte”.  It’s all part of booking the Haven. Fares reflect that.  Whether you utilize all of those Haven services is entirely up to you.

 

I would imagine it would be a mini nightmare trying to figure out billing of Haven services if they were a la carte.  Who gets which service in each individual cabin would be crazy.  They can’t even remember to not deliver afternoon snacks or to remove the NCL “champagne” bucket.  Can’t imagine what it would be like if each individual cabin had different services owed.

[Two Wheels Only]

48 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Haven is not “a la carte”.  It’s all part of booking the Haven. Fares reflect that.  Whether you utilize all of those Haven services is entirely up to you.

 

I agree. That's why I asked the OP the questions that I did. 

I don't really understand why someone would want to forfeit butler service. I understand that some don't really use the butler but other than financial reasons, what would be the benefit of forfeiting the service?

 

If butler service was optional and there was a cost difference, people would complain with the usual "nickel and dime" complaints. 

 

On some of the older ships, some non-haven suites lost butler service a couple of years ago. With the pandemic, there wasn't much fuss made over it. 

 

56 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I would imagine it would be a mini nightmare trying to figure out billing of Haven services if they were a la carte.

 

Yes, it would be a nightmare. I don't believe that the OP was suggesting an "a la carte services" system. I believe that the OP was bringing up the point that some people are either uncomfortable with or opposed to having a butler.  The thread went a bit off of the rails once tipping was brought in (no surprise there) but my take is that the OP was questioning if the idea of having a butler somehow deters people from bidding on or booking a Haven suite. 

 

It's an interesting idea. I wonder if the thought of a butler puts some people off so much that they don't "...go Haven". 

[spanishguy1970]

6 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

I agree. That's why I asked the OP the questions that I did. 

I don't really understand why someone would want to forfeit butler service. I understand that some don't really use the butler but other than financial reasons, what would be the benefit of forfeiting the service?

 

If butler service was optional and there was a cost difference, people would complain with the usual "nickel and dime" complaints. 

 

On some of the older ships, some non-haven suites lost butler service a couple of years ago. With the pandemic, there wasn't much fuss made over it. 

 

 

Yes, it would be a nightmare. I don't believe that the OP was suggesting an "a la carte services" system. I believe that the OP was bringing up the point that some people are either uncomfortable with or opposed to having a butler.  The thread went a bit off of the rails once tipping was brought in (no surprise there) but my take is that the OP was questioning if the idea of having a butler somehow deters people from bidding on or booking a Haven suite. 

 

It's an interesting idea. I wonder if the thought of a butler puts some people off so much that they don't "...go Haven". 

I am so glad you got my point and i think you were the only one. 👏No, i never suggested an " a la carte services" but you know how it is with some people perceptions.

[The Shrike]

Having a butler was pretty much a non-factor in deciding to book the Haven the first time.  We didn't give that "perk" much thought at all.  We're not fancy people (both are retired military from middle class backgrounds) and had never been buttled (😄) before, so we didn't know what to expect.  If we were to have made a list of why we were doing the Haven, having or not having a butler would have not appeared on it.

I don't know if that helps or not, OP.

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

22 hours ago, spanishguy1970 said:

I have read on other threads that some people would like to book a suite in the Haven but they don't want a Butler. I wonder, if you had a choice to forfeit the butler service before your cruise, would someone be more prone to booking a Haven Suite?

 

Also, if someone wins a bid for a Haven suite does it come with a butler? and if it does, would you be more interested in bidding if you knew the butler is not part of the service when you bid?.

 

just curious.

I'm not sure I'm the right person to answer this question, but hey, the discussion has been everywhere, including whether the US is better off now or 50 years ago (I like civil rights for all, btw). 

 

Anyhow, to answer your question from my point of view:

 

When my husband and I decided to book our first cruise together (and in the Haven), back in February, we booked Haven. The butler did not fit into our decision at all. We figured we would use the butler very little as we don't need our suitcase unpacked/packed, weren't planning to dine in our room, or order room service. 

 

If there were a cost saving, we would be more prone to book a Haven suite without the butler. We'd keep the concierge though as the concierge prevents us from having to stand in the guest services line for an hour.  

 

I do think other posters are correct that many would just decide this is more "nickel and diming" and it would impact the butler's tips. I'd be interested to know how NCL would staff a ship when one week 80% of Haven'ers have a butler, then the next week only 70% have butler service. What do you do with the extra butlers? 

 

You've brought up a great thought exercise, but I (personally) don't think it's a great option. Also, we have seen a little more value from our butler as we've now completed two cruises in the Haven. It's nice to have the butler bring dessert back to the room, although we are fully capable of carrying it ourselves. Also, if service is slow in the Haven Restaurant (like, every, single night), and an activity/show is coming up, it's nice to have the butler take our already ordered food back to our room. It's amazing how a dinner service will take 1.5 hours. Just absolutely crazy! 

 

Until your hypothetical bidding/booking situation comes up, I do think it's best to have a conversation with the butler on the first day. Tell the butler that you won't be asking anything of them. If this is the case, I don't see why a tip would be warranted, even if they do fill up your Nespresso. At least the butler knows from the start the likelihood of a tip is negligible and they can provide even better service to those customers that want butler service.

[wolft927]

Sailing in the Haven Multiple times I will say I enjoy Having a Butler but do not utilize them very much. First Haven Cruise our butler was amazing! He delivered French Press coffee every morning! He simply asked what time we wake up and did we enjoy coffee in the morning, and offered to bring it. One other night we did dine in the room which he delivered and set up. Other then the usual afternoon snacks and such we did not ask much but he was always asking if there was anything he could do for us. 

We are booked again in the Haven on the 29th of this month on the getaway for 9 nights. 

 

[skeeter195]

18 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

18 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

If I don't drink in the hotel bar then I don't nip in there to tip the servers anyway.

 

Why is that different from not tipping a butler on a ship if they aren't used? Genuine question

 

Keith, the difference here is that the butler is assigned to you and your room.  Another thing is that the butler is "in charge" of your room making sure that everything is kept up to standards.  So even you if you never see them they are still making sure you are taken care of by the other staff.  The bartenders are not directly assigned to you but the hotel in general.  if I did not drink at the Haven bar I would not tip them either.  I see where you are coming from though.  

[graphicguy]

I don't put much worth on having a Butler.  I can take or leave the "snacks" they bring every day.  I don't dine in my cabin.  I want to be "out and about".  The rest of what a Butler does?  Quite frankly, I really don't know, nor care.  I just don't need them.  And, I don't ask anything of them.

 

That's why I kind of chuckle when I see them the first day of the cruise, and never again until the last day, when they're hanging around my cabin for obvious reasons.  I smile and offer them a sincere "thank you".  But, even at that, not sure what I'm thanking them for.

 

Concierges?  Different story.  I just let them know what I want to do, when I want to do it, how I want to change it, what needs to be attended to on my bill, get me on/off the ship with zero hassle.  Now, they do a lot for me.  And, I tip accordingly.

 

I enjoy the Haven Restaurant and the Haven Bar.  I enjoy the prime seating at shows.  I enjoy the better bedding and bathroom amenities.  I enjoy the Haven loungers in the Haven only deck area and I enjoy the Haven pool areas.  I enjoy the fact that if I get a massage, the masseuse comes to me (in the private massage area in the Haven) instead of me going to them.

 

In short, there are a lot of things I enjoy about the Haven.  The Butler just isn't one of them.

[adlb1300]

On 9/12/2022 at 12:16 PM, KeithJenner said:

We don't tell the butler we don't want them. We just don't ask for anything. It's not a big issue.

This if you don't ask them for anything the extent of your service will be them bringing the afternoon snack and even that you can ask for them not to bring it. 

[bookbabe]

We cruised on the Encore Haven in December and May, and both times we were fortunate enough to have Rao as our butler.  He’s awesome, and we actually found him way more useful than the concierge most of the time.  Yes, he’s the one who delivered snacks and such on an almost nonstop basis, but he did all sorts of other things that made our trip smooth and carefree.  He’s the one that would somehow see us in a line (on ship or on shore to reboard the ship) and pull us out of it to bypass the wait.  Anything we needed, he was our go-to guy.  The second trip, he recognized us as we were following the concierge into the haven lounge at embarkation, and he swooped over and insisted on taking our carryons to the room so we wouldn’t have to deal with it.  He’s also the one that had already called the plumbers and had them on their way up before we had even had a chance to mention the odd smell in the bathroom.

 

Concierges have been hit or miss, and often ours have passed all the actual work onto their assistants.  One was even so useless and foot-dragging at getting a billing issue sorted out that we gave up and went to wait at guest services to fix it ourselves.  But we’ve been really lucky with our butlers, and have found them much more useful than we’d ever expected.

 

We would absolutely opt into butler service if it was optional, now that we’ve experienced what a really good one can do to improve your cruise.