dramaqueen4lyfe Posted March 12, 2008 #226 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Here's an interesting tidbit that I got from a Concierge who shall remain nameless, for obvious reasons. Effective this month, they've had they're base salaries cut in half, and will be relying more heavily on tips for their income. Apparently guests who are CL eligible will have a spot on their gratuities forms to include the Concierge. I'm really saddened to see this development because I think it will hurt even the best Concierges, especially on ships where there's an overflow lounge or where D/D+ guests are banned from the lounge to prevent overcrowding (for example on a members' cruise, which happened to many on Radiance last year). We don't use the Concierge's services much, but have always left at least a token gratuity for the Concierge and any barstaff who may be helping out during the cocktail hour. I can see the best of the fleet leaving for greener pastures, and can't say that I would blame them one bit.:( Jean, say it ain't so. I do not want to be responsible for their salaries especially since some are better than others and deserve everything we give them in grateful thanks for attentive service not because we have to pay them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alwzcrzn Posted March 13, 2008 #227 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Does anyone know who the current Concierge is on the Voyager? Is it still Martin Sanchez? Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
negc Posted March 13, 2008 #228 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Let's not panic before we have official confirmation of this supposed change in the tipping guidelines. Cruise ships are hotbeds of unsubstantiated rumors and more than once supposed "knowledgeable sources" have proven to be wrong. I have no doubt that what Jean has reported is what she was told, but we have all been told things onboard that turned out to be wild speculation on the part of individuals with overactive imaginations.:rolleyes: To some extent, it might help those who are never totally certain as to whether the amount they are tipping the concierge is too generous or too stingy.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
critterchick Posted March 13, 2008 #229 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I won't be on a ship with a CL for the rest of the year, so I'll be fascinated to see what evolves. I hope that the person who told me this is wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if s/he was spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynnees Posted March 13, 2008 #230 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I won't be on a ship with a CL for the rest of the year, so I'll be fascinated to see what evolves. I hope that the person who told me this is wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if s/he was spot on. Well, I'll be on the Brilliance in about 4 weeks so if no one has posted before then I certainly will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherriZ366 Posted March 13, 2008 #231 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Juan Diego was on vacation and was supposed to return to Freedom soon. Oh, well anyone who has Carmeliza as a concierge would also like her. Wonder if she and Juan Diego alternate. She was up in the lounge for longer than stated in the morning which was great for having someone handle problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneStarr Posted March 13, 2008 #232 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Totally agree! I also felt that Katherine V from Brilliance was on that path when we sailed with her. I am *not* happy about the compensation change. We already tip our concierge generously based on their excellent performance. I would resent being responsible for their salaries (since this is supposed to be a perc). Jane I forgot to update you on Jewel OTS info: As for the concierges on the Jewel- Robert was Andrea's replacement last vacation. She will have a new one this vacation (right after the transatlantic crossing in early April). Teodore is the barman upstairs (Like Veronika was on Feb 3 sailing), NOT the concierge. Here's the list updated for Jewel: The March 2008 list: Adventure of the Seas - Duygu Tanel (DeDe) Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth Explorer of the Seas - Ricky Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux Freedom of the Seas (Diamond) - Juan Diego Miranda-Allen Independence of the Seas (Concierge) - Independence of the Seas (Diamond) - Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt(vac. after 4/08 crossing)/Replacement not yet announced Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock Mariner of the Seas - Fernando Navigator of the Seas – Carlos / Julian Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman/Rahul Barua vacation cover Splendour of the Seas - Kenneth Boodoo Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez (vacation 1/27)/Gershwin Bronswinkel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisnpat Posted March 13, 2008 #233 Share Posted March 13, 2008 OK when do we start tipping the Captain??????:D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinsince99 Posted March 13, 2008 #234 Share Posted March 13, 2008 AD Adventure of the Seas- Duygu Tanel (DeDe) BR Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela -- Empress of the Seas (EM) - none EN Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth EX Explorer of the Seas- Ricky FR Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux FR Freedom of the Seas (Diamond)- Juan Diego Miranda-Allen/Carmeliza Colina [Diamond Club Waiter, Melvin Gomez] GR Grandeur of the Seas - none ID Independence of the Seas (Concierge) - ID Independence of the Seas (Diamond) - JW Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt (bar man Teodore} LG Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi LB Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu LB Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock -- Majesty of the Seas (MJ) - none MA Mariner of the Seas- Fernando/Mitzi -- Monarch of the Seas (MN) - none NV Navigator of the Seas– Carlos / Julian RD Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya -- Rhapsody of the Seas (RH) - none SR Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman / Rahul Barua -- Sovereign of the Seas (SS) - none SP Splendour of the Seas – Giovanna/Kenneth Boodoo(leaving RCI) -- Vision of the Seas (VI) - none VY Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez / Gershwin Bronswinkel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinsince99 Posted March 13, 2008 #235 Share Posted March 13, 2008 OK when do we start tipping the Captain??????:D :D :eek: Can you imagine if they even TOUCHED their salary??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autoguy Posted March 13, 2008 #236 Share Posted March 13, 2008 AD Adventure of the Seas- Duygu Tanel (DeDe)BR Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela -- Empress of the Seas (EM) - none EN Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth Boodoo EX Explorer of the Seas- Ricky FR Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux FR Freedom of the Seas (Diamond)- Juan Diego Miranda-Allen/Carmeliza Colina [Diamond Club Waiter, Melvin Gomez] GR Grandeur of the Seas - none ID Independence of the Seas (Concierge) - ID Independence of the Seas (Diamond) - JW Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt (bar man Teodore} LG Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi LB Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu LB Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock -- Majesty of the Seas (MJ) - none MA Mariner of the Seas- Fernando/Mitzi -- Monarch of the Seas (MN) - none NV Navigator of the Seas– Carlos / Julian RD Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya -- Rhapsody of the Seas (RH) - none SR Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman / Rahul Barua -- Sovereign of the Seas (SS) - none SP Splendour of the Seas – Giovanna/Kenneth Boodoo(leaving RCI) -- Vision of the Seas (VI) - none VY Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez / Gershwin Bronswinkel Kenneth Boodoo is not leaving RCI...he is the current concierge on the Enchantment until March 27th when Julian comes back and then he will be moving to the Navigator on March 29th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayrate Posted March 13, 2008 #237 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I forgot to update you on Jewel OTS info:As for the concierges on the Jewel- Robert was Andrea's replacement last vacation. She will have a new one this vacation (right after the transatlantic crossing in early April). Teodore is the barman upstairs (Like Veronika was on Feb 3 sailing), NOT the concierge. Here's the list updated for Jewel: The March 2008 list: Adventure of the Seas - Duygu Tanel (DeDe) Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth Explorer of the Seas - Ricky Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux Freedom of the Seas (Diamond) - Juan Diego Miranda-Allen Independence of the Seas (Concierge) - Independence of the Seas (Diamond) - Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt(vac. after 4/08 crossing)/Replacement not yet announced Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock Mariner of the Seas - Fernando Navigator of the Seas – Carlos / Julian Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman/Rahul Barua vacation cover Splendour of the Seas - Kenneth Boodoo Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez (vacation 1/27)/Gershwin Bronswinkel "Replacement" for Andrea is announced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneStarr Posted March 13, 2008 #238 Share Posted March 13, 2008 "Replacement" for Andrea is announced. Who's it gonna be? :) Jane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayrate Posted March 13, 2008 #239 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Who's it gonna be? :)Jane Hasn´t Andrea told you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypo Posted March 13, 2008 #240 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Does anyone know who the current Concierge is on the Voyager? Is it still Martin Sanchez? Thanks for the info. We had Gershwin Bronswinkel on the Voyager last week. He is leaving Voyager by the end of the month to be assigned to the startup crew as concierge on the Independence. I don't know who will replace him. Hypo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
negc Posted March 13, 2008 #241 Share Posted March 13, 2008 I won't be on a ship with a CL for the rest of the year, so I'll be fascinated to see what evolves. I hope that the person who told me this is wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if s/he was spot on. I think your assessment is correct, Jean. I have now confirmed this news with another source, one who is also extremely reliable. Don't think it matters that much to those of us who normally tip the concierge for his or her efforts, and perhaps making it clearer that the concierge position is deserving of a tip, may make up somewhat for the loss of salary. Cutting their salaries in half does seem a bit extreme however and I can imagine that most concierges are more than a bit concerned about the impact this will have on their income. It will be interesting to see if the guidelines suggest a tip rate or put it in the category of the amount being "at your discretion". :rolleyes: It would be a shame if this change leads some of the better concierges to decide that their best interests are served by taking another position onboard the ship or elsewhere in the hospitality industry:(. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toronto Maple Leaf Fan Posted March 13, 2008 #242 Share Posted March 13, 2008 We just got of the AOS with DeDe as our concierge on Sunday March 9th. She was her usual amazing self!!! We were indeed given a CONCIERGE ENVELOPE in our room along with the other tipping envelopes. There was no tipping guideline however on the 'tipping guideline sheet'. We just put $$ in the envelope with a note and gave it to DeDe. De De is going on holidays starting March 16th. Kim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinsince99 Posted March 16, 2008 #243 Share Posted March 16, 2008 AD Adventure of the Seas - Duygu Tanel (DeDe) [on holiday starting 16MAR2008] BR Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela -- Empress of the Seas (EM) - none EN Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth EX Explorer of the Seas - Ricky FR Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux FR Freedom of the Seas (Diamond) - Juan Diego Miranda-Allen/Carmeliza Colina [Diamond Club Waiter, Melvin Gomez] -- Grandeur of the Seas - none ID Independence of the Seas (Concierge) - Gershwin Bronswinkel ID Independence of the Seas (Diamond) - JW Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt (bar man Teodore} LG Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi LB Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu LB Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock -- Majesty of the Seas (MJ) - none MA Mariner of the Seas - Fernando/Mitzi -- Monarch of the Seas (MN) - none NV Navigator of the Seas – Carlos / Julian (29MAR2009 Kenneth Boodoo) RD Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya -- Rhapsody of the Seas (RH) - none SR Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman / Rahul Barua -- Sovereign of the Seas (SS) - none SP Splendour of the Seas – Giovanna/Kenneth Boodoo(leaving RCI) -- Vision of the Seas (VI) - none VY Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez / Gershwin Bronswinkel<-[until ID sails] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SherriZ366 Posted March 16, 2008 #244 Share Posted March 16, 2008 For Mariner cruises, I thought I saw that Mitzi may be doing something else rather than being Concierge. Lots of negative comments on Comment Cards about her. Please let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevSmith Posted March 16, 2008 #245 Share Posted March 16, 2008 EN Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth <-[until ID sails] Hi there cruisinsince 99...why are their three concierges on Enchantment...I am going this April..do you how I find out who it will be...I like both Carlos and Julian....don't know Kenneth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Libby7 Posted March 16, 2008 #246 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Ken is filling in for Julian who is on vacation - he'll move on to another ship at the end of March. Carlos has returned to his full time job in Guest Services, so will not be in the Conceirge lounge in the future. You should probably take his name of the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaySea Posted March 16, 2008 #247 Share Posted March 16, 2008 I changed the concierge for Liberty back to the correct one. Ricardo is leaving RCI, getting married and Pretty Shamu (that's her real name!) is taking his place. I was just on the Liberty last week and Pretty is now in charge as of this week. Thanx for this info.. anyone out there have any interactions with Pretty:p (just sounds funny!!!) TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevSmith Posted March 17, 2008 #248 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Ken is filling in for Julian who is on vacation - he'll move on to another ship at the end of March. Carlos has returned to his full time job in Guest Services, so will not be in the Conceirge lounge in the future. You should probably take his name of the list. Where is Julian going???...I never got to see his special show...we are going on the Enchantment in April of 08 and were really looking forward to seeing him... do you know who will repace him... sorry it is not Carlos...he was very nice and very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBeamTX Posted March 17, 2008 #249 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Maritza should teach a course in how to be a Concierge. She is the BEST (ship or no ship). Sailed with her twice and not once have I witnessed her ignoring a customer or losing her cool. As a matter of fact she cares about all her customers so much that on our 1/26/08 sailing she knew the CL would not be big enough for all her guests and didn't want to slight anyone so she booked the Vortex lounge for the evening service. She met with and talked with every person in that lounge every evening without fail. Again, the BEST!!!! We absolutely agree - Maritza is wonderful. We've sailed Serenade three times now and there is no way I could get my Dad on a different RCI ship. I just hope that she will not be on vacation when we sail this fall on the Canal transit. If I recall correctly, she was going on leave after the Hawaii sailings last year, just before the Canal sailing. Does anyone know if Maritza will be on board Serenade in late October/early November? Thanks, Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I LOVE SUITES Posted March 17, 2008 #250 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Hi, ID Independence of the Seas (Concierge) - Gershwin Bronswinkel Has anyone had gershwin as their concierge? if so what was he like? Was he organised? thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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