Butler in Suite

[Pitzel]

16 minutes ago, Sammae said:

Can you clarify that you had the HAVEN breakfast menu? 

 

Other reports have said that it is just whatever is available for uncharge on the room service breakfast menu, except that it is free (omelettes, etc.).

Yes, I believe so — our butler expressly told us to ignore the items on the breakfast hang tag (the standard room service menu) and to write whatever we wanted from the suites breakfast menu on the back of the tag. 

[BirdTravels]

20 minutes ago, Sammae said:

Can you clarify that you had the HAVEN breakfast menu? Other reports have said that it is just whatever is available for uncharge on the room service breakfast menu, except that it is free (omelets, etc.).

As a suites guest, you can order items off the suites breakfast and lunch menu for in-room dining. On a small ship, Haven and Suites eat in the same dining room and have the same menu. On the Joy, suites have no benefits. On the Prima and Viva, suites guests eat in Cagney's and have a suites menu. 

[Sammae]

7 minutes ago, Pitzel said:

Yes, I believe so — our butler expressly told us to ignore the items on the breakfast hang tag (the standard room service menu) and to write whatever we wanted from the suites breakfast menu on the back of the tag. 

 

5 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

As a suites guest, you can order items off the suites breakfast and lunch menu for in-room dining. On a small ship, Haven and Suites eat in the same dining room and have the same menu. On the Joy, suites have no benefits. On the Prima and Viva, suites guests eat in Cagney's and have a suites menu. 

Ahhh ok. So the suites menu. I think this thread is developing some confusion between "Haven" and "non-Haven" amenities. 

[Pitzel]

10 minutes ago, Sammae said:

 

Ahhh ok. So the suites menu. I think this thread is developing some confusion between "Haven" and "non-Haven" amenities. 

Indeed!

 

So, I guess to answer the OP’s question: No. Suites with a butler do not have to pay for room service. 
 

To answer your question: Non-Haven suites with a butler have access to a complementary expanded suites room service menu that includes items not offered as part of standard room service. 

[rgruenhaus]

3 hours ago, Pitzel said:

Indeed!

 

So, I guess to answer the OP’s question: No. Suites with a butler do not have to pay for room service. 
 

To answer your question: Non-Haven suites with a butler have access to a complementary expanded suites room service menu that includes items not offered as part of standard room service. 

But until we get into our suite how do we know what we are paying for is actually getting us a butler and concierge?

Till then it's all smoke and illusion with words like SHOULD WOULD COULD get a butler even as a non-haven Aft facing penthouse balcony suite in an NCL site with no one held to correct those shoulda woulda coulda's.

I was told that the category SN room I was booking gets a butler and concierge,  but wording gives the ship the ability to not provide them.

[dexddd]

So I guess the back of the house ops not being supportive of the Frontline staff is acceptable.  This acceptance has sailed and sustained for years.

[rgruenhaus]

58 minutes ago, dexddd said:

So I guess the back of the house ops not being supportive of the Frontline staff is acceptable.  This acceptance has sailed and sustained for years.

[rgruenhaus]

Just now, rgruenhaus said:

More precise, but on the Jade. 

[UKstages]

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

CSRs are minimum wage call center personnel...

 

oh, dear... we've been through this many times. i can assure you., they are not. the reps out of miami and phoenix (many of whom actually work out of their homes) are well compensated and many have worked for NCL for years.

 

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

[they] can only provide responses based on what they can "google" on their call center system. If they are not a good "googler", you won't get a response. Some poor call center person can't be expected to know every nuisances on every ship for every cabin class.

 

actually, it is the cruise consultant's job to know nearly every nuance of every ship, at least when it comes to cabin inventory and amenities. again, it's their job. knowing which rooms have butlers and that the joy suites don't have butlers, for instance, is core product knowledge, which is probably taught in the first week of training.

 

they don't "google," but if by that you mean they search an internal knowledge base, yes... all of NCL's product details, policies and announcements and memos are contained within that database and are relatively easy to find. they'll even have a copy of the letter you received in your stateroom advising you of a canceled port.

 

6 hours ago, Sammae said:

Can you clarify that you had the HAVEN breakfast menu? 

 

invited suite guests will dine in a specialty restaurant that will serve the haven breakfast and lunch menus, although the menus may not carry "haven" branding or logos. if you're on a smaller ship, like the gem that has a haven complex, but no haven restaurant, it is likely that your menus will carry the haven branding. haven and suite guests will eat together in the same restaurants, typically moderno for breakfast and cagney's for lunch.

[cruisinmeme]

In my opinion when they renamed those cabins and called them club balcony suites it confused many people. They renamed, gave a few little extras , charged more money. They dont come close to a real suite so it is not real clear to someone who has never sailed in both.

[BirdTravels]

8 hours ago, UKstages said:

actually, it is the cruise consultant's job to know nearly every nuance of every ship, at least when it comes to cabin inventory and amenities. again, it's their job. knowing which rooms have butlers and that the joy suites don't have butlers, for instance, is core product knowledge, which is probably taught in the first week of training.

 

they don't "google," but if by that you mean they search an internal knowledge base, yes... all of NCL's product details, policies and announcements and memos are contained within that database and are relatively easy to find. they'll even have a copy of the letter you received in your stateroom advising you of a canceled port.

100% incorrect. 

 

Do you know, for a fact, that they don't "google" their "knowledge base"? Our company's front ends our knowledge base with a google search engine since it has employs sophisticated algorithms for sematic searches. 

 

A funny story. We sat next to a Senior Personal Cruise Consultant on a recent cruise. He was very proud that he had worked for NCL for 5 years and was now a Senior PCC. But that cruise was the first time he was ever on a ship and he was there to learn about everything that his clients had talked about. 

Edited February 11 by BirdTravels

[zqvol]

Just now, BirdTravels said:

100% incorrect. 

Wrong again

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, cruisinmeme said:

In my opinion when they renamed those cabins and called them club balcony suites it confused many people. They renamed, gave a few little extras , charged more money. They dont come close to a real suite so it is not real clear to someone who has never sailed in both.

Neither did a mini-suite which was it's prior name and is still the cabin class assigned to those rooms "Mx". 

[BirdTravels]

25 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Wrong again

So every agent is supposed to know every nuance of every ship???? Seriously????

 

If every agent is supposed to know every nuance of every ship, then there would be no complaints about agent knowledge. Right?

Edited February 11 by BirdTravels

[complawyer]

rgruenhaus.

 

if you are checking the available cabins, the site will indicate if the cabin you choose comes with a butler.

 

bird travels is 100% correct. the so called "club balcony suites" are just cabins previously called mini suites, they offer no appreciable extras, except a few goodies tossed in.

 

some ships have both haven suites and suites. the rooms themselves via descriptions are virtually identical. some of the ncl ships that have the haven complex, offer their own pool area, bar and restaurant, as well as butler/concierge. some ships offer haven, but no designated bar/pool/ restaurant

those offer breakfast in moderno and lunch at cagneys.

 

those others that offer both haven suite and suites, similarly offer breakfast in  moderno/ lunch at cagneys.  those with a specially designated have complex, also offer dinner in their own restaurant.

 

while the haven experience is 2nd to none, i find for the savings of 2-3000, i can book a suite, and forgo the pool/bar/restaurant offered in the "haven complex" and get almost the exact same experience.

 

why the joy offers no butler for suite guests is beyond me.

[rgruenhaus]

4 hours ago, complawyer said:

rgruenhaus.

 

if you are checking the available cabins, the site will indicate if the cabin you choose comes with a butler.

 

bird travels is 100% correct. the so called "club balcony suites" are just cabins previously called mini suites, they offer no appreciable extras, except a few goodies tossed in.

 

some ships have both haven suites and suites. the rooms themselves via descriptions are virtually identical. some of the ncl ships that have the haven complex, offer their own pool area, bar and restaurant, as well as butler/concierge. some ships offer haven, but no designated bar/pool/ restaurant

those offer breakfast in moderno and lunch at cagneys.

 

those others that offer both haven suite and suites, similarly offer breakfast in  moderno/ lunch at cagneys.  those with a specially designated have complex, also offer dinner in their own restaurant.

 

while the haven experience is 2nd to none, i find for the savings of 2-3000, i can book a suite, and forgo the pool/bar/restaurant offered in the "haven complex" and get almost the exact same experience.

 

why the joy offers no butler for suite guests is beyond me.

The reason I posted the NCL Jade room amenities list was because several rooms are vague by using words such as should or normally etc. Several reps I spoke with were not clear but would say that you will find out when you get onboard.  That's not when you want to find out that what you were told and paid for is not what you are getting. I have pointed out several descriptions where it was not clear what you were paying for. It's like the Latitudes levels benefits that you are awarded after 11 cruises and getting 75 points and one of the things is 2 dinners for 2 and then you find that the person going with you did as many cruises and is a Platinum level in the same room and NCL put an asterisk next to that benefit and down below it says per cabin! So one of you Platinum level latitudes members is not getting the perks you cruised with NCL to get, just because you are in a room with another Platinum level member! That's a breech of contract! They want your loyalty, but don't want to honor it by giving you what the contract states. Adding an asterisk and stripping one Platinum of the benefits of Platinum may be the company's bean counters idea of saving the company money, but it certainly doesn't show appreciation for your loyalty.

 

15 hours ago, rgruenhaus said:

 

[TrinaLC]

On 6/21/2023 at 1:25 PM, meglet said:

We were in a deck 10 aft suite on the Pearl in April. No charge for room service breakfast. The deck 8 and 9 aft suites are listed as "some with butler service."

Does anyone have personal experience getting the PH treatment in these deck 9/10 SN suites? 

 

Edited February 11 by TrinaLC

[UKstages]

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

100% incorrect.... Do you know, for a fact, that they don't "google" their "knowledge base"?

 

i do know, for a fact, that they don't.

 

i've been in the contact center business for decades. most contact centers have no external link to the internet for security reasons. so, in most cases, agents can't "google" anything. lines blur when they're working out of their homes, but generally agents are using company equipment and wide open internet access is prohibited. they should be able to access their knowledge base, their internal chat or help line (if they have one), the NCL consumer site and their proprietary booking systems. those are the only sites that should be "whitelisted."

 

if you're using the term "google" as a generic verb to mean "search," much the same way people have adopted "kleenex" as a a generic term for "facial tissue," then, yes, they do indeed search their internal database. as you point out, google sells enterprise search services to companies and that backend technology could be used in conjunction with an internal KB. but nobody who uses that should ever say they are "googling" which implies the use of the actual google search engine on the open internet.  more often that not, companies anthropomorphize their KB and give it a name like "merlin" or "sarah" or whatnot and they say they're asking "merlin" or consulting "sarah" or whatever. even companies that use google's enterprise search capabilities are not "googling."

 

companies don't want their reps to quote information from the internet. if they were allowed to do so, they could go to cruise critic or facebook and quote wildly inappropriate advice, such as that the vibe is not worth the fee.

 

it's a moot point because, for its internal KB for cruise consultants and travel agents, NCL uses a salesforce platform. i believe it's a part of their "einstein" suite of services and i suspect but do not know for a fact that salesforce provides the backend for the rest of their CRM and enterprise data, as well. it is possible to purchase just the KB capability, but few companies actually do that. in any case, the KB has a "my.site.com" URL which means it points to salesforce and salesforce is their knowledge base (KB) partner.

 

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

So every agent is supposed to know every nuance of every ship???? Seriously????

 

no, but they should know a lot of core knowledge and have answers for things they don't know at their fingertips. that's why you have a knowledge base! knowing "every nuance"  is the ideal and rarely realized, but yes... every agent should have core product knowledge down pat. knowing which ships and/or suites have butler service is pretty basic stuff. i can't speak to how they are trained, but i'd be willing to bet that suites and the services provided are a topic in new hire training, as well as supplemental training when the policies or amenities for suites change.

 

8 hours ago, rgruenhaus said:

That's a breech of contract!

 

no, it isn't. the terms are clearly explained. some benefits are awarded per cabin and not per person. that may seem unfair, it may seem churlish and penny-wise, it may be off-putting to platinum guests, but it ain't no breach of contract.

Edited February 11 by UKstages

[rgruenhaus]

5 hours ago, TrinaLC said:

Does anyone have personal experience getting the PH treatment in these deck 9/10 SN suites? 

 

I sent the form with all amenities on the Jade  and the different types of rooms so if it is a jewel class ship it should be the same.

[omahabob]

On 6/22/2023 at 3:43 PM, graphicguy said:

Club Balcony Cabins are nice…particularly the bathroom!  Plus, they come with a nice laundry perk!

 

I think the term “Club” is simply a designation to differentiate it from a regular balcony cabin….not that it is part of any “club”!

 

Yep. I just mentioned it because some people get the wrong impression from the name.

[omahabob]

4 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

i do know, for a fact, that they don't.

 

i've been in the contact center business for decades. most contact centers have no external link to the internet for security reasons. so, in most cases, agents can't "google" anything.

 

Not true. I was in IT for years, and worked several call centers. Every one allowed outside internet access, and some depended on it. There were usually strict firewalls in place to limit content type or 'off limits' sites, but otherwise internet access was unrestricted.

[UKstages]

 

31 minutes ago, omahabob said:

Not true.

 

your experience was either many, many years ago (heck, when i worked as a call center rep in the paleozoic era, we were allowed to write credit card numbers down on scrap paper; now, due to "clean desk" policies to thwart fraud, you can't even have a pen or pencil or crayon or lipstick or anything else that you could conceivably write with... nor can you have paper nor a camera or a phone or any device which has independent access to the internet)... or your call centers didn't handle financial transactions or customer data ... or you worked for a rather unenlightened company with a very poor CIO... or all your company's call center agents were bonded, which is unlikely. there have been an explosion of tightened security measures in contact centers in the last two decades and particularly in the last seven or eight years.

 

allowing open access to the internet for contact center employees is rather foolish. in the first place, they don't need it. any site required can be whitelisted. in the second place, agents could transmit credit card numbers and personally identifiable data to confidants outside the call center. what you describe as "firewalls" were, more likely, a "white list" that allowed access to approved sites, which is exactly what i referred to in my post. there's a third place and a fourth place and a fifth place and a host of other reasons why contact centers don't need unfettered access to the internet, but for the purposes of this discussion, those are the most relevant.

 

i do so love when folks emphatically exclaim "not true" to the personal lived experiences of others.

Edited February 12 by UKstages

[omahabob]

2 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

 

your experience was either many, many years ago...

 

...i do so love when folks emphatically exclaim "not true" to the personal lived experiences of others.

 

I do so love when folks emphatically claim they know my age or work experience. I didn't refute your experience in any way, so please don't put words in my mouth that I did not say. I refuted your claim that your personal experience applies to all call centers, everywhere, when clearly it does not.

[rgruenhaus]

42 minutes ago, omahabob said:

 

Yep. I just mentioned it because some people get the wrong impression from the name.

I wish NCL would stop adding vague labels without even an asterisk and statement of description. 

If they can put an asterisk next to the Platinum and above levels losing their perk 2 Specialty dinners when in the same room as another Platinum and above the a simple label of a room can benefit the company and cruisers knowing what they are getting and paying for. Less frustration for phone reps too!

[rgruenhaus]

45 minutes ago, omahabob said:

 

Not true. I was in IT for years, and worked several call centers. Every one allowed outside internet access, and some depended on it. There were usually strict firewalls in place to limit content type or 'off limits' sites, but otherwise internet access was unrestricted.

I worked for Cox Communications on the tech line and we needed internet access to verify either a customer equipment problem or the website problem.  Sales department on the phone did not have access to internet, only internal server info!