Did we set our expectations too high for our first taste of the suite life?

[triptolemus]

Two questions-

 

Everyone keeps talking about lunch at Cagney's the first day. What about on the Breakaway and Getaway? Still? Even though they have their own restaurant in the Haven?

 

Does the steward only clean the room and the butler and concierge are for all else? What is the difference in the butler's duties and the concierge's duties?

 

Pretty sure lunch is in the Haven restaurant for ships that have it instead of Cagney's.

 

There is a steward, a butler, and a concierge. The simplest way to understand the duties of each is steward cleans, butler handles your needs inside the cabin, concierge handles your needs outside the cabin.

[sissyb]

Okay so now I am a little worried about what to expect on our cruise on the Getaway. We are in a Haven aft penthouse suite. I think the room looks really good myself. We have never cruised NCL before. On RCCL we have had grand suites and owners suites. All except for our Alaska cruise I thought the staff was great.

 

I will be disappointed if our conceirge is less than par or ignores us. Maybe I wouldn't care as much if this was not our first cruise on NCL. But we don't know the ins and outs of NCL yet.

 

I will just keep a positive attitude and hope for the best.

[sjde]

Does anyone know who the concierge is on the Breakaway now?

[triptolemus]

Does anyone know who the concierge is on the Breakaway now?

 

Did you try this thread? It's long, but if you search it, BA info is probably there...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1966226

[sjde]

Thanks!

 

It looks like Adrian and Elvina but I suppose in 5 months it could change.

[Inuvikcouple]

I always find it interesting how different all of our experiences have been when cruising in suites. We have only ever been in Aft suites when in a suite at all and the best service we ever received was from Patrick. He even arranged with us to be seated in the reserved seating area in the theatre although if the truth be known these are not necessarily great seats as far as we were concerned but we did appreciate the gesture. Some, that others rave about, did not show us the time of day which was their loss not ours really because of course the tip reflected the lack of service. We did notice on a couple of occasions however where we experienced underwhelming service, that there were one or two guests that were so demanding of the Concierge's time that there was little doubt that this was a contributing factor to our lack of service. We have had Carlos as well, not when we were in a suite but we had been given VIP privileges and he was great. (it was due to this experience that we started booking suites) We have never had an issue with any butler, if we needed something that they could provide, we asked and low and behold, it was done.

[pathubia]

Last year we cruised a suite on the Dawn for the first time. We loved it!! Matter of fact we booked the same suite for the same week this year, we leave this Friday. I hope we have a friendly butler and concierge....Last year our butler Flor was very business like, but we actually made her laugh a few times. Virginia was our concierge and she was GREAT.....Cant wait to see who we will get this year!! :cool:

 

This year we also have the adjoining mini suite, tried to book two suites, but needed the adjoining cabin cause none of the kids are over 21. Oh well, we will deal with whatever happens....A bad week at sea is still better than a week at home!!

[mabones]

Ahhhh! How I miss my Adrian! I wanted to take him home with me after out Cruise last April. He bent over backwards for you.

[oldnursie]

To JuneauWhatIMean, Thank you for the post concerning expectations! Yes, I am capable of finding cabins and disembarking myself....But, hells bells, your right, I paid for that extra "hand holding". Thank you again!!

 

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[sjnyc323]

Two questions-

 

 

 

Everyone keeps talking about lunch at Cagney's the first day. What about on the Breakaway and Getaway? Still? Even though they have their own restaurant in the Haven?

 

 

 

Does the steward only clean the room and the butler and concierge are for all else? What is the difference in the butler's duties and the concierge's duties?

 

 

The suites on Getaway and Breakaway have breakfast and lunch in Haven Restaurant not in Cagneys. Butler takes care of all your needs inside cabin, breakfast orders for inside cabin and whatever else you need. Concierge will make all reservations for you escort you to shows and anything else needed around ship, priority disembarkation etc

[DrNora]

SisssyB

 

On Royal you have the few hours of free cocktails in the lounge. We are long time RCL suite cruisers and also NCL suite cruisers who have been waiting for NCL to have the ships we wanted in the Caribbean in the summer.

 

The difference in concierge service between NCL and Royal is - well, on Royal you get some free mixed drinks and a free canapés.

 

On NCL you get an experience the is not available on Royal. You just pay for your cocktails.

You will not want to go back.

Sadly, NCL doesn't have the itineraries we want when we need them! We would take the Haven/ courtyard experience over any Royal ship any day. We have traveled on no less than 11 royals suites in the past 5 years, and are thrilled to be back in the Haven( formerly courtyard) on NCL

 

You will be very very pleased. Really.

[knitlady037]

John D'Souza was the concierge for the April 6th sailing of the Dawn and he was outstanding!!!!!

 

I'll type up a full review in here about the ship and suite experience and compare to my previous sailings on Carnival, when I finally get home and get a good night's sleep.

 

I agree John was an outstanding concierge! we had a family suite the first 7 days of our cruise and the deluxe owners suite the next 12 and received the best service we have ever had.

If you are lucky enough to have Jennifer Calixto as your butler prepared to be spoiled! One day she noticed I had a bowl of sliced grapefruit and oranges that I was bringing back to the cabin from the buffet. I mentioned I loved that for an afternoon snack. From that day forward some appeared in my cabin without asking! Little things like that make for an outstanding butler. She noticed other things that we liked and always found a way to make them appear. Asked for a few snacks one day for some guests we were having and she made a beautiful spread for us a few times. She was my vacation hero and I made sure a special card was written for her and also let the HD know. That goes a long way in helping their careers.

John and Jennifer will be leaving the Dawn soon and joining the Jewel sometime late summer .

[philip_eunice1]

I always find it interesting how different all of our experiences have been when cruising in suites. We have only ever been in Aft suites when in a suite at all and the best service we ever received was from Patrick. He even arranged with us to be seated in the reserved seating area in the theatre although if the truth be known these are not necessarily great seats as far as we were concerned but we did appreciate the gesture. Some, that others rave about, did not show us the time of day which was their loss not ours really because of course the tip reflected the lack of service. We did notice on a couple of occasions however where we experienced underwhelming service, that there were one or two guests that were so demanding of the Concierge's time that there was little doubt that this was a contributing factor to our lack of service. We have had Carlos as well, not when we were in a suite but we had been given VIP privileges and he was great. (it was due to this experience that we started booking suites) We have never had an issue with any butler, if we needed something that they could provide, we asked and low and behold, it was done.

 

 

we were on the dawn in feb with Patrick he was helpful attentive always spoke with us in the morning and called us in the afternoon to make sure everything was ok maybe he is a little shy but we would be happy to have him again anytime

[NLH Arizona]

Okay so now I am a little worried about what to expect on our cruise on the Getaway. We are in a Haven aft penthouse suite. I think the room looks really good myself. We have never cruised NCL before. On RCCL we have had grand suites and owners suites. All except for our Alaska cruise I thought the staff was great.

 

I will be disappointed if our conceirge is less than par or ignores us. Maybe I wouldn't care as much if this was not our first cruise on NCL. But we don't know the ins and outs of NCL yet.

 

I will just keep a positive attitude and hope for the best.

I think you will be fine if you are in the Haven. I just finished a cruise and was in an aft penthouse (not in the Haven) and I was pretty much invisible to the concierge. When I went to check in, she put her hand up and told me to wait, while she got a group ready to board and then when that was done, she continued talking with another staff member while I was standing there. After that, I never saw her in Cagney's for breakfast (on my cruise before the concierge, John on the Jewell, was always in Cagney's asking if you needed anything). I received one call from her and then to add insult to injury, during disembarkation, she would not come over to three of us (two gentlemen and I) who were all in non Haven suites and talked for a good 1/2 hour with those from the Haven suites. When we disembarked, she never uttered a word to me. I did leave a tip, but rest assured that if it happens again (I'll be on the same ship in November), she won't get one red cent from me. I don't want someone falling all over me, because I'm very independent, but I would have like that she just acknowledged that I was alive.

 

BTW, the room was fantastic and my butler was great and both more than made up for the concierge.

[SissasMomE]

I think you will be fine if you are in the Haven. I just finished a cruise and was in an aft penthouse (not in the Haven) and I was pretty much invisible to the concierge. When I went to check in, she put her hand up and told me to wait, while she got a group ready to board and then when that was done, she continued talking with another staff member while I was standing there.

 

Wow - that was rude!

[dexddd]

I think you will be fine if you are in the Haven. I just finished a cruise and was in an aft penthouse (not in the Haven) and I was pretty much invisible to the concierge. When I went to check in, she put her hand up and told me to wait, while she got a group ready to board and then when that was done, she continued talking with another staff member while I was standing there. After that, I never saw her in Cagney's for breakfast (on my cruise before the concierge, John on the Jewell, was always in Cagney's asking if you needed anything). I received one call from her and then to add insult to injury, during disembarkation, she would not come over to three of us (two gentlemen and I) who were all in non Haven suites and talked for a good 1/2 hour with those from the Haven suites. When we disembarked, she never uttered a word to me. I did leave a tip, but rest assured that if it happens again (I'll be on the same ship in November), she won't get one red cent from me. I don't want someone falling all over me, because I'm very independent, but I would have like that she just acknowledged that I was alive.

 

BTW, the room was fantastic and my butler was great and both more than made up for the concierge.

 

What ship was that on?

 

Our concierge experience aboard the BA in March was the same for the most part - we were invisible - and we were in the Haven area.

[Fishbait17]

What ship was that on?

 

Our concierge experience aboard the BA in March was the same for the most part - we were invisible - and we were in the Haven area.

 

That sounds like Ruth.. She is very efficient, but not good at the social stuff and seems unable to personalize her services. I've always said, Ruth runs a tight ship!

 

Robin

[dexddd]

That sounds like Ruth.. She is very efficient, but not good at the social stuff and seems unable to personalize her services. I've always said, Ruth runs a tight ship!

 

Robin

 

It was. And I had heard that before we went as some people loved her and others not at all. We were not impressed even though we really didn't have any need for her.

 

Contrast that with a recent review of Anoop on the Getaway who apparently is excellent and doesn't chain himself to his desk. It just creates an inconsistent product offering for people.

[NLH Arizona]

What ship was that on?

 

Our concierge experience aboard the BA in March was the same for the most part - we were invisible - and we were in the Haven area.

 

The Pearl. Thanks goodness that I don't let little things like this upset me and even if I would have, the rest of the crew certainly made up for this concierge and at least I now know what to expect on my November cruise on the Pearl.

[sunshine nana]

We are usually generous with tips, but we got the same non-treatment from Ruth while she fell all over those from the Haven. We gave her 0 tip. They are going to have a problem one of these days when someone is going to think it is discrimination for some characteristic that makes them different from the chosen ones.

[dexddd]

We are usually generous with tips, but we got the same non-treatment from Ruth while she fell all over those from the Haven. We gave her 0 tip. They are going to have a problem one of these days when someone is going to think it is discrimination for some characteristic that makes them different from the chosen ones.

 

We were in the Haven and also got the non-treatment so it doesn't seem to matter much where you are located, at least from our one trip with her.

[SissasMomE]

We are usually generous with tips, but we got the same non-treatment from Ruth while she fell all over those from the Haven. We gave her 0 tip. They are going to have a problem one of these days when someone is going to think it is discrimination for some characteristic that makes them different from the chosen ones.

 

I don't blame you. If she put her hand up to me, she'd have a lot more to worry about than no tip!! I definitely would have reported that, and I have never, ever reported anyone before.

[NoDayButToday00]

Our experience on the BA recently was interesting to say the least. We absolutely adored Adrian. He made us feel like the most important person in the world when we were speaking to him. However, he never did seek us out like he has some others. Towards the end of our trip we could not get into Cagney's and the assistant concierge was unable to do anything about it. We happened to run into the Restaurant Manager at dinner the night before and he asks how did we enjoy our trip. We casually mention it and he told us to have Adrian give him a call in the morning and magically they were able to fit us in. So that was amazing and unexpected.

 

Our Butler in the Spa Haven wanted nothing to do with us. We got snacks every afternoon but he kept repeating stuff we were not eating. I don't think it's that hard to figure out when the tray is completely untouched for the 3rd time. He never showed us how to use the coffee machine and said that we couldn't order food if it was too far away because he wouldn't want to serve us cold food. He was friendly when we saw him in the Haven like at the bar or heading to the restaurant but as far as performance he was a D. He made sure to show up on Sunday morning magically though. ;-)

 

Room Steward was awesome and was rewarded handsomely for his excellence.

[All-ready2cruise]

The Pearl. Thanks goodness that I don't let little things like this upset me and even if I would have, the rest of the crew certainly made up for this concierge and at least I now know what to expect on my November cruise on the Pearl.

 

I was going to ask if it was the Pearl. We had the same experience as far as being invisible... but that was ok with me if they (Butler & Concierge) hadn't come with their hands out the last evening just as we were leaving for dinner I would have been quite happy with the situation. We're very independent and most of the "snacks were left untouched.

 

And yes, we did tip them both but didn't put it in their outstretched hands. :mad: They had to wait until the next day. Our steward, on the other hand, was given his as soon as we saw the last day. Go figure, his hands were too busy to be out-stretched.

[Medtech2]

I think you will be fine if you are in the Haven. I just finished a cruise and was in an aft penthouse (not in the Haven) and I was pretty much invisible to the concierge. When I went to check in, she put her hand up and told me to wait, while she got a group ready to board and then when that was done, she continued talking with another staff member while I was standing there. After that, I never saw her in Cagney's for breakfast (on my cruise before the concierge, John on the Jewell, was always in Cagney's asking if you needed anything). I received one call from her and then to add insult to injury, during disembarkation, she would not come over to three of us (two gentlemen and I) who were all in non Haven suites and talked for a good 1/2 hour with those from the Haven suites. When we disembarked, she never uttered a word to me. I did leave a tip, but rest assured that if it happens again (I'll be on the same ship in November), she won't get one red cent from me. I don't want someone falling all over me, because I'm very independent, but I would have like that she just acknowledged that I was alive.

 

BTW, the room was fantastic and my butler was great and both more than made up for the concierge.

Why on earth would you leave a tip?

 

OTOH, if I receive such non service I would be tempted to do what you can do with a restaurant waitress who is horrible. You don't NOT leave a tip as they might think you just forgot. Instead you leave a penny. You remembered but that is what the service was worth!