Norwegian Haven Butler Guide: 15+ Ways to Use the Service
What does a Norwegian Haven butler actually do? Quite a bit. If you’re staying in The Haven on NCL, your butler can help with everything from food-related requests like bringing meals and snacks to handling certain special requests in your suite.
On our most recent NCL Aqua cruise, we stayed in The Haven with family. A few of them were fascinated that we had butlers. The kids thought it was a huge deal. We’ve stayed in The Haven before, so I kept reminding everyone that the butler is a nice perk. It’s just one small part of the whole Haven experience.
On that sailing, they explained the role pretty simply. The butler handled the food side of the suite, including bringing meals and snacks and clearing the dishes afterward. The cabin attendant handled the stateroom itself, while the butler also kept the Nespresso setup stocked.
That’s not everything an NCL Haven butler can do. Below, I’ll share ways to use the service, what to expect, a few tips, and what to know about tipping your butler.
Ways to Use Your Norwegian Haven Butler
Have Meals Delivered and Set Up in Your Suite
A big part of the Haven butler’s role is handling food service in your suite. You can order breakfast, lunch, or dinner from the Haven Restaurant menu and have your butler bring it directly to you.
It’s also different from standard room service in a non-Haven cabin. The butler will come in and set the table with a fresh white tablecloth, dishes, silverware, and anything else you need. When you’re done, they’ll come back and clear everything away.
We use this service most often for breakfast on port mornings. We can eat without having to get ready and head to the restaurant first. On one sailing, our butler asked the night before what time we wanted breakfast. She even set the table ahead of time, so it was ready when our meal arrived.
Tip: You’re not limited to the Haven Restaurant menu. Your butler can also bring food from other restaurants around the ship, including The Local and specialty restaurants. If you order from a specialty restaurant, the usual dining charges still apply.
Ask for Special Food Requests
Your Haven butler can also help with food requests that aren’t necessarily on a menu. What they can get for you will depend on what’s available onboard and, to some extent, the butler you have.
On our Norwegian Aqua cruise, one family member in our group was both a cruise newbie and new to The Haven, and she really made the most of having a butler. She regularly asked for specific fruits, vegetables, and other things she liked to eat in the suite, and the butler delivered each time. She’d have a little buffet of things to make a combination of things to plate for breakfast for her family.
I also asked our butler about bringing certain things from around the ship, and his answer was pretty simple: just ask, and they’ll do their best. That’s probably the best way to approach special requests in The Haven. Ask, but don’t assume every request can or will be fulfilled.
Customize Your Daily Snacks
One nice perk of having a Haven butler is daily snack delivery to your suite. You’ll usually get something each day, like canapés, fruit, cookies, or something sweet. Your butler will also keep the whole-fruit bowl replenished during the cruise.
If you’re not into what they’re bringing, let your butler know what you’d rather have. You can ask for cookies, chips, gummy bears, M&Ms, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or even healthier things to eat. If you want more of one fruit than another, let them know.
We’ve found it’s better to say something at the start of the cruise, or you may end up getting things you normally wouldn’t eat. That way, your butler learns what you like and can adjust what they bring.
Keep Your Nespresso Coffee Bar Stocked
Your butler takes care of the Nespresso coffee bar in your Haven suite. They keep it stocked with capsules, cups, and other supplies. If you want more of a specific capsule, let your butler know.
We love having the Nespresso setup in Haven suites, and we usually ask our butler to keep fresh milk in the mini fridge along with anything else we like to have with our coffee. It’s a small thing, but it makes the setup feel a lot more useful.
Your butler will also clear used coffee cups, plates, glasses, and other dishes from the suite and replace anything that needs refreshing.
Ask Your Butler to Stock the Mini Fridge
One downside to staying in The Haven is that beverages from the mini fridge aren’t included in your drink package. Even with a beverage package, minibar drinks are charged separately.
Your butler can still keep the fridge stocked with things like filtered water, fresh milk, lemonade, and iced tea. We usually let ours know early in the cruise what we’d like to have in the suite. Some Haven guests say their butler has also stocked canned soda or bottled water covered by their beverage package, but this seems to vary.
On my last Norwegian Encore cruise, I asked our butler for a canned ginger ale. She explained that it normally had to be charged to our account, so my husband went to the bar and got one for me. Later, she got the bar to make an exception and brought me another ginger ale. She also brought the crackers I had ordered, plus chicken soup and green apples I hadn’t asked for because she knew I wasn’t feeling well.
What we do: Since the minibar drinks aren’t included, we usually stop by the Haven Bar in the evening and grab a few canned drinks or bottled waters that are included with the Free-at-Sea Plus upgraded drink package. We bring them back to the suite and keep them in the mini fridge for later.
Ask Your Butler to Unpack or Pack for You
Your Haven butler can help unpack your luggage at the beginning of the cruise or pack it again before you leave.
I’ve seen other Haven guests say they love this service, but we’ve never used it ourselves. I like putting everything away so I know where to find it, and I’m not sure I want a stranger handling my unmentionables. If unpacking is one of your least favorite parts of travel, though, it’s something you can ask your butler to do.
Get Escorted On and Off the Ship
It all begins on embarkation day, when a butler meets Haven guests and escorts them onboard as part of the priority boarding process. It’s one of my favorite NCL Haven perks. The butler team also works with the concierge to provide priority assistance getting on and off the ship.
This usually isn’t your assigned butler escorting you each time. The butlers work as a team, and whoever is on rotation that day may be the one helping Haven guests.
You’ll see this again when leaving the ship in port or during final disembarkation. Concierge coordinates it, but it’s mostly the butlers that escort you through the ship and get you as close to the front of the security or gangway line as possible. You’ll also see the same butlers outside with a Haven sign when you return from your time in port.
Have Your Butler Retrieve Something You Forgot
If you forget something important in your suite, your butler may be able to grab it for you. We learned this one by accident while on NCL Getaway.
We were at a specialty restaurant when we realized we left our Platinum dining coupon in the cabin. We were about to run back for it when the hostess offered to call our butler instead. We sat down for dinner, and our butler brought it over.
It’s not something I’d take advantage of. Your butler is also taking care of other suites and plenty of other requests. But in this situation, it was really nice to have the option.
Tip: Your Haven suite has a portable phone. You can carry it around the ship to reach your butler or concierge. We rarely carry ours. If we need someone from the Haven team, a crew member has usually offered to call for us.
Need Something Onboard? Ask Your Butler
On our very first Haven cruise, which was also our first cruise after an eight-year break, we were such newbies that we barely asked our butler for anything. We hardly saw him.
The one time we did call was because we needed Dramamine and had no idea where to get it onboard. He came through and helped us find it.
That was one of the first times we realized the butler could help with more than meals and snacks. If you need something onboard and aren’t sure where to find it, your butler may be able to help.
Have Dessert or Leftovers Brought to Your Suite
If you’re too full for dessert, ask your server if it can be sent to your suite for later. The restaurant can coordinate the delivery with the Haven butler team.
This is great if you have a show to get to or just want dessert later. How this is handled can vary, so I’d always ask your server first.
Ask for Help Celebrating a Special Occasion
If you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or another special occasion, let your butler know. They can help with small touches like snacks, appetizers, or having food and drinks delivered to the suite. I’ve also seen Haven guests say their butler helped decorate the suite with balloons, banners, or birthday decorations. I wouldn’t immediately expect that, but it does happen.
Some celebrations may be a team effort between the butler and Haven concierge. Cakes, decorations, or other extras may also cost more, so ask what they can help arrange.
Have Your Butler Help With a Small Get-Together
If you’re traveling with family or friends and have one of the larger Haven suites, you can ask your butler to help set up food for a small get-together. They can bring appetizers, snacks, plates, glasses, and other things you may need, then clear everything afterward. What they can provide depends on availability, and some requests may cost extra.
Set Up a Morning Coffee Routine
If you like coffee at the same time every morning, you can set up a regular delivery with your butler. They can bring a French press pot of coffee to your suite, along with milk, cream, or whatever you normally like with it. Once you set the time, it can become part of your morning routine without having to request it each day.
Ask Your Butler to Bring You Restaurant Menus
Since your butler can bring food from restaurants around the ship, ask for copies of the NCL restaurant menus available on your cruise that you’re interested in, including the full Haven Restaurant menus. You can find many in the NCL app, but I find it easier to have them in the suite. The Haven room service menu isn’t the only menu you can order from.
Use the 24-Hour Butler Service
Haven butler service is available 24 hours a day, but your assigned butler isn’t working around the clock. Once their shift ends, the night butler takes over for late-night food and room service requests. We used the night butler one evening to order the 7-layer chocolate cake from the Haven room service menu. And yup, it’s the same cake served at Cagney’s.
Things Haven Guests Say Their Butlers Have Done
Not every butler request falls neatly into the official list of services. I’ve seen other Haven guests report that their butlers have helped with some pretty random things too.
A few examples:
- Shining shoes
- Pressing clothes
- Drawing a bath
- Bringing Starbucks drinks or cocktails to the suite.
I wouldn’t board expecting any of these. A lot depends on the butler, the sailing, and what they’re able to do.
Tips for Working With Your Haven Butler
- Tell them what you like. Snacks, fridge items, coffee, whatever you know you’ll want during the cruise.
- Bring a short list if that helps. Some Haven guests hand their butler a few requests when they first meet.
- Be respectful. Your butler is there to help, but you’re not their only suite.
- Service can vary. Some butlers are more proactive than others.
- Talk to the concierge if something feels off. If the service isn’t working for you, the concierge can usually help.
More Things to Know About Your NCL Haven Butler
You Don’t Have to Use Your Butler
You don’t have to use your butler just because it’s part of The Haven. Some guests barely call on them, while others prefer doing things themselves. If you don’t use your butler at all, you’re not expected to tip them separately.
Butlers Aren’t Included in the Daily Service Charge
Your Haven butler isn’t included in the regular daily service charge. If you use their service, you’ll handle gratuities separately.
There’s No Set Amount for Tipping Your Haven Butler
There’s no set amount for tipping your Haven butler. How much you tip depends on how much you use the service. We usually tip around $10 per person, per day, but we also tend to ask very little of ours.
Some Haven guests like to tip part of it upfront, hoping to start the cruise off on the right foot. Others wait until the end and tip based on the service they received.
The Haven Concierge Handles Reservations
Your butler isn’t the person to call for everything. The Haven concierge usually handles dining reservations, show reservations, shore excursions, and other onboard plans. Once you know who does what, it’s much easier to get the right help.
BEFORE YOU SET SAIL, HERE ARE SOME RELATED ARTICLES YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS:
Meet Kathy Ava, a food, travel, and cruise writer based in Los Angeles/Pasadena, and the owner and main writer of Tasty Itinerary. With over 20 years of experience planning trips and logistics at her full-time job and for herself, she’s become a pro at crafting unforgettable tasty itineraries. She’s always on the hunt for delicious, fun travel destinations and cruise itineraries. She firmly believes that life is short and we must make the most of it, so always say yes to dessert.
