First time in Suite..need advice

[KevinsCruising]

HI,

 

On a prior thread I was debating on upselling to a AB Penthouse on the Jewel. We decided to go for it. Now I am not sure what to expect, ask for, how to use concierge or butler , what do I ask of them, check in???? Just all the stuff in general..:confused: I don't want to miss out on anything.

 

So all you past suite guests, can you help me out?

 

Thank you so much,

[ImADaneFan]

Kevin,

A couple of things the butler and concierge will do for you.

The Concierge will make any reservations for the specialty restaurants for you. You should get an invitation to the captains reception. And you will get priority tickets for tenders if you have a tender port. You will also check-in at a separate area and be escorted to your suite. You will not have to wait in the regular line. The concierge takes care of anything outside of your cabin.

The Butler will take care of everything inside your cabin. You can order meals from ANY of the restaurants onboard and the butler will serve them in your room. The surcharge still applies. You can get DVD's from the library. They will take care of the Excellent coffee machine. :D

And finally remember that the Butler and Concierge are NOT included in the auto tip pool. Please be sure to take care of them at the end of your cruise. We always bring a thank you note and put our tip in it.

These are just a few of the things they can do for you, and I'm sure you will get a lot more tips from others here.

[sunshine nana]

Ask for menus of the MDR so you can decide if you want to go to a specialty. Even if you do go to the MDR, the concierge can make a reservation so you get the table you want at the time you want. Ask the concierge how to get priority tendering and disembarkation. Ask when the cocktail parties will be. Ask about the special phone you can carry around the ship to call the butler. You can get room service from Cagneys or the MDR for breakfast, not just the short list non-suites get. Those are the perks we did not know about our first time in a suite. We did know about Cagneys for breakfast and lunch including embarkation day which we loved.

[Turtles06]

Even in a non-tender port, the concierge has the discretion to give you priority disembarkation (take you down the crew elevator and right to the gangway). Just ask your concierge if he or she will do that for you. On our Med cruise in January, we found this to be one of the best perks of all, given the limited time ashore in the various ports. We had booked private tours in most of the ports, so getting off the ship quickly not only maximized our time, but also enabled us to beat out the NCL tour buses and get to some locations before they were overwhelmed.

 

Have a great time!

[McCutie]

You will also get an invite to the VIP cocktail party which is nice. Meet some crew members and mingle with the other VIPS and suite guests.

 

Editing to say that I repeated what Dane already told you...sorry: )

[McCutie]

Oh also, I wanted to get my hair cut etc etc and when I called for an appt. at the salon they told me they were all booked....I called the concierge and she called down and got me an appt. Sounds ridiclous but I was traveling with a small child and was pregnant and this was a nice perk to have.

The concierge and butler will try to accomodate whenever possible so don't be afraid to ask. Funny thing is that we were never told no : )

[oliverweagle]

We too decided on an AB suite - but on the Sky for a 3 nighter. Would would the recommended tips for the butler and concierge be?

 

Thanmk you,

 

Ollie:)

[ImADaneFan]

We too decided on an AB suite - but on the Sky for a 3 nighter. Would would the recommended tips for the butler and concierge be?

 

Thanmk you,

 

Ollie:)

Tipping is always a personal issue. We normally start at a certain point and modify it based on number and type of requests. Our normal starting point is $10/per day for the cabin for the concierge and $10/per person per day for the butler. Plus we always tip our room stewards above the auto tip.

[terrymtex01]

OP.. really when it comes to the Butler and Concierge I always find it easiest to think of it like this. The Concierge will help you with anything you need outside your cabin and the Butler will help you with anything inside your cabin. Now I am not saying their job functions do not cross paths in my example, but as far as who you should make the request to, that is the rule of thumb. If you ask something of your Butler for your stateroom he/she might have to go to the Concierge to get approval or help getting it done, but the original request really should be made to the Butler.

 

Example. For our cruise on the Dawn last Nov we were in an AD, which has the wrap around balcony but has the wrap around part blocked off. We asked the butler if we could have the door to that part opened on the balcony so we could use that as our "smoke" area to keep our smoke from as far away from the other balcony guest as possible. The Butler had to go to the Concierge who contacted the ships maint. staff for this request. For those wanting to know.. our request was denied. Not only was it denied, but after about an hour of being told it was denied a crew member came out to the blocked off area and double checked the balcony door that accessed the wrap around part just to make sure we had not unlocked it, etc.

 

Tipping is always a personal issue. We normally start at a certain point and modify it based on number and type of requests. Our normal starting point is $10/per day for the cabin for the concierge and $10/per person per day for the butler. Plus we always tip our room stewards above the auto tip.

 

That is the exact process we try to use to determine tips.

[KevinsCruising]

I can't wait. The more I read, the more I want to pack. What time should we get to the port, the same as normal or should we get there earlier to get some of those bennies from the getgo ;)

[Theresa522]

I can't wait. The more I read, the more I want to pack. What time should we get to the port, the same as normal or should we get there earlier to get some of those bennies from the getgo ;)

 

 

We always get to the pier at 10:30 am. Some may think that is too early but it always worked out well for us. We want to start our vacation asap.:D

[McCutie]

I am with Theresa....we always get to the pier by 10:30-11am and it has always worked out well for us....knock wood : )

[KevinsCruising]

10:30 it is...... just curious...what time will they let you board? Also I assume your suite will not be ready when you board so maybe they take you to Cagneys ????

[McCutie]

My memory is shot after 3 babies but I am thinking we started check-in by 12pm...maybe earlier? Our suite cabins were always ready when we got on...Not sure why but they were.

 

Not sure if it the same at the pier in NYC but we waited upstairs and there were some beverages and snacks.

[GirlWriter]

If your suite is not ready when you get on, can you leave your luggage someplace safe while you go to eat?

[slyfox0113]

HI,

 

On a prior thread I was debating on upselling to a AB Penthouse on the Jewel. We decided to go for it. Now I am not sure what to expect, ask for, how to use concierge or butler , what do I ask of them, check in???? Just all the stuff in general..:confused: I don't want to miss out on anything.

 

So all you past suite guests, can you help me out?

 

Thank you so much,

 

We just got off the Gem and had the Deluxe Owners Suite. You will be directed to a suite check in area and wait in a VIP lounge for boarding.The concierge made all our dinner reservations, she will meet you outside of the theatre for your reserved seating. She will also arrange if you want to leave the ship, i.e. we wanted to go to Atlantis, she would have arranged it but we changed our minds. The concierge will get you on the ship and off the ship with priority embarkation and disembarkation. She even got us a porter for our luggate upon disembarkation. You will be invited to the Captains Private cocktail party and depending on where your suite is there will be a reception from the Hotel Director for the courtyard guests. The reception will be in the courtyard. Your butler will bring you anything you want for your room, on the first day he will take your liquor order. Tell him what mixers you want, do you want a blender for Pina Colada's etc. He will get you extra ice, glasses, anything you want. Special requests beyond your daily snack delivery, for example we would ask for fruit and cheese trays to be in our room at 10 pm every evening. They were there. He will take care of your room service orders from the MDR and specialty restaurants. If your in a courtyard suite a waiter from Cagneys is there every morning and lunchtime to take your order and you can have your lunch in the courtyard instead of Cagneys. Your steward will take care of all your room needs and cleanliness. We had another steward who took care of our balcony and hot tub for us. You an always ask to dine on your balcony, under the stars is beautiful. It is almost endless what they will do for you to make your cruise a great one. As everyone else has already said they are not included in the daily surcharge so you will need to tip them.

[slyfox0113]

10:30 it is...... just curious...what time will they let you board? Also I assume your suite will not be ready when you board so maybe they take you to Cagneys ????

 

We arrived at terminal 11 am. By noon we were on the ship escorted to our room by our butler. Suite rooms are ready when you board. Straight to Cagneys for lunch.

[theshortchef]

Suites are ready before the other rooms. I think that 2pm is the usual time for regular rooms. So yes, on board and right to your room (leave a few minutes to walk around your AB and gasp with delight) then off to Cagney's for lunch. A tip for you at Cagney's: the breakfast and lunch menu stays the same throughout the week. They are very open to subsitutions at both meals which was great for us since we didn't want to gain tooooo many pounds after losing some weight since the first of the year!

[Theresa522]

I assume you will be giving them your "luggage" at the pier and you mean a carry on bag? Once we got on the ship our suite was ready so we just dropped our bag off in our cabin and went to eat. However, it won't be that quick as you are going to be drooling over your room and I am sure the courtyard villa ;)

 

You guys are going to have the time of your lifes. The only REALLY REALLY BAD thing I can think of is: You will NEVER want to stay in a regular cabin again :(

[KevinsCruising]

We just got off the Gem and had the Deluxe Owners Suite. You will be directed to a suite check in area and wait in a VIP lounge for boarding.The concierge made all our dinner reservations, she will meet you outside of the theatre for your reserved seating. She will also arrange if you want to leave the ship, i.e. we wanted to go to Atlantis, she would have arranged it but we changed our minds. The concierge will get you on the ship and off the ship with priority embarkation and disembarkation. She even got us a porter for our luggate upon disembarkation. You will be invited to the Captains Private cocktail party and depending on where your suite is there will be a reception from the Hotel Director for the courtyard guests. The reception will be in the courtyard. Your butler will bring you anything you want for your room, on the first day he will take your liquor order. Tell him what mixers you want, do you want a blender for Pina Colada's etc. He will get you extra ice, glasses, anything you want. Special requests beyond your daily snack delivery, for example we would ask for fruit and cheese trays to be in our room at 10 pm every evening. They were there. He will take care of your room service orders from the MDR and specialty restaurants. If your in a courtyard suite a waiter from Cagneys is there every morning and lunchtime to take your order and you can have your lunch in the courtyard instead of Cagneys. Your steward will take care of all your room needs and cleanliness. We had another steward who took care of our balcony and hot tub for us. You an always ask to dine on your balcony, under the stars is beautiful. It is almost endless what they will do for you to make your cruise a great one. As everyone else has already said they are not included in the daily surcharge so you will need to tip them.

 

I can not believe it.... after all my cruises I cannot believe I have never done this. My wife will feel like she is in a fairy tale. Unbelievalble. My wife always sends me back to the room from the pool for something she forgot........now I can just call someone and have that taken care of.

 

Awesome:D

[ImADaneFan]

We just got off the Gem and had the Deluxe Owners Suite. Your butler will bring you anything you want for your room, on the first day he will take your liquor order. Tell him what mixers you want, do you want a blender for Pina Colada's etc. .

I believe you're in an AB. Just to clarify. AB's don't include alcohol. Only GV, DOS an OS include alcohol and sodas.

[Theresa522]

I can not believe it.... after all my cruises I cannot believe I have never done this. My wife will feel like she is in a fairy tale. Unbelievalble. My wife always sends me back to the room from the pool for something she forgot........now I can just call someone and have that taken care of.

 

Awesome:D

 

When are you leaving? I am very excited for your family, you will all have such a wonderful time. Or should I say "suite time" ;)

[goldmom]

I can not believe it.... after all my cruises I cannot believe I have never done this. My wife will feel like she is in a fairy tale. Unbelievalble. My wife always sends me back to the room from the pool for something she forgot........now I can just call someone and have that taken care of.

 

Awesome:D

 

The suites are awesome. But just realize that some of the things mentioned in the post are only for the higher end suites, such as the reserved seating and the liquor order. Just didn't want you to expect something and not receive it. But rest assured you will LOVE you suite life!

 

The last time we boarded, our suite wasn't ready. We just took our carry-on with us to Cagney's and by the time we finished lunch our cabin was ready. Have a great cruise!

[Why Knot Me]

I can not believe it.... after all my cruises I cannot believe I have never done this. My wife will feel like she is in a fairy tale. Unbelievalble. My wife always sends me back to the room from the pool for something she forgot........now I can just call someone and have that taken care of.

 

Awesome:D

 

That might be a little bit of a stretch :o to have something retrieved from the room.

[McDebbie]

:D Yeah, I'm not even sure they are allowed to do that.

On our Pearl cruise our AD suite was not ready and we had to leave our carry on in the "carry on" room. I think they work hard to get the suites ready ASAP but some suite passengers just don't care about that priority disembarkation! Some of us are going to stay until the last frigging minute.:)