Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=345, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions. Relax with an incredible floor-to-ceiling view, and let the butler and concierge take care of the finer details. Royal Caribbeans CocoCay versus MSCs Ocean Cay, which is better? Listed on 2023-03-02. Explain the pillow menu and deliver your selections to the room. Additionally, the typical cruise passenger that enjoys butler service is in a completely different financial category than the family of five packed into an inside cabin looking for every opportunity to save a buck. But if youre cruising The Haven, youre in for a special treat. Thanks to all. Each butler serving that special VIP area of the ship received formal training at the International Institutes of Modern Butlers. Plus, youll be pampered with a deluxe array of complimentary amenities and personal service from a butler and concierge that help create a vacation experience youll never forget. Most concierges on cruise ships are absolutely fantastic and very talented at both making you feel welcome but also making reservations and arranging services. Along with the assistant butler or cabin steward, your cruise butler offers services ranging from prepareing your room, delivering room service, ensuring that your mini-bar is stocked correctly as well as coordinating other details such as dinner reservations, laundry service or even helping to book shore excursions. The onboard concierge will help book your dining reservations, make entertainment recommendations and greet you as you board and disembark in ports of call. Your butler will set up your suite to your specifications, serve meals personally in your room or on the balcony and sometimes accompany you to the theater to show your reserved seating on Evening Chic nights. Available on: Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Jewel. It's fun to cruise with a butler at least once. In part, this is because many services that you recieve on a cruise ship should honestly be simply built into the price of the experience. Present different brands of soap, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion for your selection and then set them up in your cabin's bathroom(s). He came back after 10 minutes or so, full of apologies to us but full of thanks for what I did. You will really feel like a celebrity with the butler service on this mid-luxury cruise line. The concierge desk enables guests and travel agents to book shore excursions and make reservations for dining, entertainment and the spa. Available to suite guests, the butler will also handle shoe shining, dry cleaning and bring coffee. It works every time, and I get my soda fix. A line-by-line guide. This service is generally at specific times, so be sure to inquire with your Concierge if your sailing has any tender ports. The concierge, on the other hand, is available precruise to help you make reservations for dining, spa treatments and more. Serve afternoon canapes and/or afternoon tea in your cabin/suite. DECK 17. Plus, a butler does way more than simply being your personal concierge since they are truely part of your overal vacation experience. The Forward-Facing Penthouse staterooms feature the same design and amenities of the Aft-Facing Penthouse rooms, but are located in a different area of the ship. We expected beggars on the streets of the big cities but not on the ship. Any discussion of tipping on a cruise will bring out a wide variety of opinions. I have found the concierge to be hit or miss. What they do: Butler services include packing and unpacking, complimentary dry cleaning, shoeshine and related services, dinner reservations in the ships' specialty restaurants, spa and shore excursion reservations, salon and spa appointments, arranging cocktail parties, providing gourmet snacks (including caviar) at tea time. And be sure to call for butler and concierge service anytime you like. From unpacking your suitcase to pouring your champagne our butlers are at your service Our Suites At a glance 3-Bedroom Garden Villa Sleeps up to 7. You can book a Concierge-level cabin to unlock access to the ship's concierge team or you can book a suite and get treated to concierge service and an in-cabin butler. ft.*, you have space for up to eight guests. he got the biggest kick out of doing that for some reason, and coming back to the room to have the pizza there and waiting. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. second time, the couple in front of us had a problem with THEIR cards (they had been on a B2B) so they, we and half the suite guests behind us all got left behind. Many other mass market cruises offer butler service for parts of the experience, for instance, we had a butler for our private beach villa at Half Moon Cay while sailing on Holland America Line. This is always the case at Great Stirrup Cay, which features a Red Carpet area to the left of the main gathering area at the tender docks. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. Another important role that many people like having a butler for is handling all the details for a private party in their suite. In one case I waited in the Lounge for my Butler escort. As far as the servers in the Haven restaurant (and others), we generally leave $5 or so for each meal since you will have a different server each time. 5 big changes you should know about coming to Norwegian Cruise Line in 2023, Comparing Norwegian Cruise Line sailings to Alaska in 2023, 17 kinds of cruises you didnt know Norwegian Cruise Lines offered, Norwegian gives inside look at Prima cruise ship christening, I lived on a cruise ship for 100 days, here's why cruise travel is still the best way to study abroad, Cruise travel insurance and why you need it. This means that Haven guests will be able to skip any lines that may occur onboard when disembarking at destinations while sailing on the cruise and maximize their time in ports. 07070 USA Telephone: (201) 902-2000, Windstar Knows the Way to the Middle East: How to Sell the Red Sea & Persian Gulf. There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. While it may seem pretty incredible even with just these perks, stay tuned for my next article to read all about Norwegian's Haven-only areas. Here is a thread from somebody that is doing the Haven for the first time - not sure if you are in the Haven, but there are comments about the butler there. In my previous article, I told you what its like before you cruise, when you check in, and what you can expect in your stateroom. This suite features chic decor alongside a master bedroom, second bedroom, private bathroom, living room area, and balcony. I only did it that time because he came to see me as he had heard from our steward and wanted to see if we needed anything. Guests will experience a vacation different that that typically found onboard. Double balcony is offered on Norwegian Dawn. Whenever you need the high-touch to make your cruise extra special, the Royal Genie is there to cater to you. Hey, you only live once! He'll offer you a choice of high-end soaps, shampoos and conditioners when you arrive in your cabin for the first time. Case in point: Norwegian Cruise Line offers butler service in The Haven suites. I do remember being told to gather around in the waiting area so they can update people on things, but then never really telling us anything. While you can tip at virtually any point during your cruise experience, the common tradition is to tip at the end of your voyage the same way you would with any other crew member. If the ID card is bad it gets worse. From unpacking your suitcase to pouring your champagne our butlers are at your service, Champagne, custom selection of liquor**, fruit, bottled water and sodas, Sparkling wine, bottled water and fruit on Embarkation Day, Nespresso Coffeemaker and Tea Forte tea bags, Invitations to an exclusive breakfast and lunch, Specialty dining delivered to your suite from any restaurant (cover charges apply), Treats delivered right to your door each night, Bliss Collection by Norwegian pillow-top mattress, Fine linens, feather duvet and pillow menu, Plush bathrobes, slippers and oversized bath towels. I think I used my night butler more with night room service etc. Learn more. Bored now, I hope my "opinions" have been useful to most reasonable people, maybe first time cruisers, who wish to book their own excursions and speciality dining, so they know they're done how they'd wish they were done. Part of that service comes with even more perks if you sail in The Haven and Suites. Overall a very nice experience. 2023 Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. LIMITED-TIME ONLINE OFFER: GET 25,000 BONUS POINTS, 11-Reasons to Cruise to Alaska this Summer | NCL Travel Blog, 14-Day Authentic Alaska - Northbound Cruisetour | Norwegian Cruise Line, 14-Day Authentic Alaska - Southbound Cruisetour | Deck Plans | Norwegian Cruise Line, 20-Day Transpacific from Tokyo (Yokohama) & Alaska | Norwegian Cruise Line, 11 Reasons to Cruise to Alaska this Summer | NCL Travel Blog, Skip the lines and be personally escorted on and off the ship at the pier and at ports-of-call, 24-hour trained and certified suite butler. Contrary to rather bizarre misconceptions, the butler does not stand there in a uniform and white gloves waiting on your beck and call they come when you call them, and stop by once or twice a day to check in. 6,694 sq. Your butler is there to make it happen. We had breakfast in our suite most mornings - sometimes just continental and sometimes ordered from the Haven menu. As youre sailing out of port, sipping on a glass of bubbly and snacking on todays treat you start thinking about what lies ahead for the evening. Retired Asst. The quality of a butler can vary but cruise lines put great emphasis on training so passengers are usually wowed by the service they receive. realize that you can be selective about all those services but find out what level you like to be pampered at. CC Help Jenn The help and assistance 24-hours a day, of a trained and certified butler. The standard phone in your suite has these same numbers pre-programmed as well. Butlers will deliver fancy canapes, like foie gras terrine and crab legs, and upgraded turn-down amenities, such as a chocolate box. Your suppose to carry it when you leave your cabin in the ship. The help and assistance of The Haven Courtyard attendant, to take care of all guests needs, such as delivering drinks, fresh fruit, cold towels, etc. It was a great pick-me-up and once our butler figured out we weren't one for canapes or gummy bears (which took about one day), we lived well! Not Haven, but never the less, butler service and had issues with 1 butler, but after talking over the issues with the concierge, the issues were corrected. So don't have to much expectations. Many cruise ships don't have any concierges or butlers at all. I will call him. They also explain how you access certain parts of the ship so, for . Booking a suite is a pricey endeavor but it can be worth it with all the perks you'll receive: an included premium beverage package, prepaid gratuities, $300 per suite onboard credit to spend on the ship any way you like, free Wi-Fi and a personal butler. the escort onto the ship has failed both times we sailed in suites. We used the butler very little outside his duties, most of which could easily have been done by the room steward. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. As you're sitting at breakfast you remember that you wanted to ask for extra ice in your bucket, and you don't want to forget again touch the button labeled Cabin Steward and voila! Started August 27, 2021, By Your butler will also remember your preferences and attend to your every need. Operating as a payor-agnostic, wholly owned subsidiary of Humana, our . We have a young child so we wouldn't be asking for much, we simply asked for AJ for the kid it took 2 days for the juice but our neighbors got 3 meals a day in there room. $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one select qualifying airline. I would have found that to be unacceptable too. The star treatment starts before embarkation, where your genie will whisk your luggage away to be waiting in your suite when you arrive. DECK 16. This website uses cookies. We are dedicated to promoting Pacific coastal cruises and supporting a community of west coast cruisers from ports including San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver as they set sail to destinations around the world. On port days your Concierge will arrange for you to be escorted to the gangway for an express exit, bypassing all the lines of guests waiting to disembark. Planning a cruise for the coming year? Your Butler will do lots of things over and above what your room steward will do, For instance, he/she can help you unpack, serve a full breakfast or evening meal in your room, and many other things. Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. This is an extra service charge implemented fleetwide (including on the Norwegian Pride of America ship). On the penultimate day we had 3 visits with "I hope you have enjoyed the service I have provided!!". The Sundeck has a hot tub, plenty of lounge day beds, and a private bar for guests of The Haven. A butler, on the other hand, is much more focused on your in-cabin experience. The Haven has its own breakfast buffet area for guests, so that Haven passengers do not have to venture to the main buffet or other dining venues onboard for breakfast. The Maite'd was appalled and informed us.the butler will do that. The other thing that the Butlers will do is they will spend some time explaining to you the facilities and how the ship works. my fiance also loved to order pizza for late night, and would order it from anywhere on teh ship with the cordless phone that comes with your room. Sparkling wine, bottled water, and fruit on embarkation day (available to 2-Bedroom Villa, Courtyard Penthouse, Spa Suite, and Penthouse stateroom guests). What is Norwegian Cruise Lines largest ship? One note that confuses some people is that you may see notes such as that provided by MSC Cruises stating that crew do not need to be tipped. Butlers aren't run-of-the-mill cabin stewards. We rarely use the phone - we normally talk to them in person or leave a note. One afternoon we arrived back from a long day to find a ham/cheese sandwich waiting for us - we devoured it and after that we went through BLTs, turkey, you-name-it. Another thought concierge is a joke because the restaurants are the only thing they do and if you don't make a reservation before you leave you eat in your room. They also receive priority boarding on embarkation day and express debarkation. An aft-facing suite would include a butler/concierge. Some lines, like Silversea, have a butler for every suite. hoping our third time in april actually results in an escort! Available on Pride of America, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Sky, and Norwegian Star.
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