Suite Concierge Service

[Solo Cruiser]

Morning all those addicted to cruising. A friend of mine is cruising in December and has booked a suite with access to the Neptune Lounge. This is her first ever cruise and I've never been in the lounge so can those of you more experienced folks give me the lowdown on the best parts of the concierge service? Thanks. (and yes I still haunt the boards when I don't have a cruise planned;))

[kazu]

Hopefully, I can help a bit - best parts of concierge service other than their friendlieness? They can just about do anything for you. From making your reservations at specialty restaurants, giving you an updated statement, book shore excursions (or cancel them), cashing travellers cheques, the list is endless. Basically your friends don't go to the front desk or anywhere (except perhaps the spa) to book or see about anything. They see the concierge.

 

Piece of free laundry missing? See the concierge. The neptune lounge has a fabulous coffee machine that many of us like to use. Has cappucino, latte, several types of coffee along with regular and tea bags of course.

 

In the mornings, there is a continental breakfast (although your friends will be able to dine in the Pinnacle Grill (or alternate location depending upon the ship for breakfast - another great suite perk). At noon, there are nice noon hour snacks and munchies (you could nearly 'fill up') and later there are fabulous hors d'hoeuvre.

 

There is good wifi reception in the Neptune Lounge. When the Neptune Lounge is closed, they have 'one touch service' to the concierge by phone. (They can also do that during the day when the Neptune Lounge is open if they don't want to see the concierge).

 

if they have any questions or issues, normally the concierge can take care of it for them. I hope this helps a bit;)

[DaveOKC]

Morning all those addicted to cruising. A friend of mine is cruising in December and has booked a suite with access to the Neptune Lounge. This is her first ever cruise and I've never been in the lounge so can those of you more experienced folks give me the lowdown on the best parts of the concierge service? Thanks. (and yes I still haunt the boards when I don't have a cruise planned;))

 

Well. I am sure others will chime in on the best features, but mine is the ability to have the concierge make arrangements and handle problems for you. They can (and often offer) make dinner reservations at one of the specialty dining venues and if you have Open Dining. They will arrange high tea, fancy dinner in your cabin or just apps. before dinner. They an get you a DVD, make shore excursion reservations, handle front desk problems, exchange currency and handle just about any other problem you might have. No waiting by you in long lines at the front desk, etc.

 

Of course the Neptune Lounge is a very nice place to just "pop in" for a quick snack or beverage (fruit juices, iced tea and a specialty coffee/cap. machine are available). No soft drinks nor bar drinks are offered though.

 

We also sometimes use the NL to review the dinner menu (you should get one sent to your romm daily as well). And of course we use the concierge as a resource to answer any questions we might have about the ship and even the ports. If they do not know the answer, they normally can get it for you fairly quickly.

 

One more thing - we do not like the free bottle of champagne provided, so we have the concierge exchange it for us for either soft drinks, bottled water or a bottle of wine (it depends on the ship what they can/will do).

 

And of course - be sure to leave a nice tip for the concierge(s) at the end of your trip for all of this great service!!

 

DaveOKC

[VMax1700]

And of course - be sure to leave a nice tip for the concierge(s) at the end of your trip for all of this great service!!

 

DaveOKC

 

Ok, I'm sorry to have to ask this, but as a European, the art of successful tipping is a skill that needs to be acquired through education. Without being flamed and, please, without unhelpful comments normally associated with tipping questions...........

what is the 'appropriate' tip for the concierges for a 7 day cruise?

(Please don't answer 'its up to you' or 'whatever you feel comfortable with' because as a foreigner to you customs we need true guidance!

Thankyou!

[GmaPajama]

Ok, I'm sorry to have to ask this, but as a European, the art of successful tipping is a skill that needs to be acquired through education. Without being flamed and, please, without unhelpful comments normally associated with tipping questions...........

what is the 'appropriate' tip for the concierges for a 7 day cruise?

(Please don't answer 'its up to you' or 'whatever you feel comfortable with' because as a foreigner to you customs we need true guidance!

Thankyou!

OK - I'll risk getting flamed here. We normally tip a concierge an average of $10 per day - that would be about $70 on a 7 day cruise. We have tipped more than that for exceptional service, and less than that on the one occasion we felt the service was poor.

[VMax1700]

OK - I'll risk getting flamed here. We normally tip a concierge an average of $10 per day - that would be about $70 on a 7 day cruise. We have tipped more than that for exceptional service, and less than that on the one occasion we felt the service was poor.

 

thank you! I presume that is between all concierges and per suite?

[Randyk47]

OK - I'll risk getting flamed here. We normally tip a concierge an average of $10 per day - that would be about $70 on a 7 day cruise. We have tipped more than that for exceptional service, and less than that on the one occasion we felt the service was poor.

 

We don't automatically tip the concierge any particular amount. Really depends on how much we used them and how they handle our few requests. Last cruise the concierge was fine but we didn't ask him to do much for us, in fact, I can't remember even one request off the top of my head. He got a small additional tip but that's not to say there was anything bad or wrong with him. Cruise before we used the concierge a lot, not so much for problems but to make some reservations for us and find out some information. She got a larger tip.

[GmaPajama]

thank you! I presume that is between all concierges and per suite?

Yes, for us, it is.

[GmaPajama]

We don't automatically tip the concierge any particular amount. Really depends on how much we used them and how they handle our few requests. Last cruise the concierge was fine but we didn't ask him to do much for us, in fact, I can't remember even one request off the top of my head. He got a small additional tip but that's not to say there was anything bad or wrong with him. Cruise before we used the concierge a lot, not so much for problems but to make some reservations for us and find out some information. She got a larger tip.

We may use the concierge more than some people do. Example: One cruise, we had 5 (yes FIVE) bottles of champagne waiting for us in our suite. We don't drink, so decided to have some CC friends in to put that champagne to good use. I mentioned it to the concierge, and she jumped into action. Printed up invitations, ordered ice buckets and glasses. She arranged for plenty of hors d'oeuvres, and stopped in several times during the little party to see what she could do to help. I was amazed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The Neptune Lounge is open from 7 AM until around 8:30 (closing time depends on the ship).

Continental breakfast is from 7 AM until 11 AM - rolls, danish, cheeses, meats, yogurt, cold cereals, various cut-up fresh fruits, muesli, fresh squeezed orange juice, ice water and then there is the coffee machine -- regular coffee, decaf coffee, expresso, lattes.

From 11 AM until about 5 PM -- there are various tea sandwiches, cookies, candies, desserts, pound cake -- they keep replenishing everything -- times cary on the ships when the pound cake is put out. Cranberry juice is availale.

From 5 PM until closing there are crudites and cold appetizers.

The coffee machine is available all day.

You can make plates of food to take back to your cabin -- we often do -- and sit out on the verandah snacking.

As for tipping -- it depends on how much we have asked the concierges to do for us and how often we see each one.

[IRL_Joanie]

Ok, I'm sorry to have to ask this, but as a European, the art of successful tipping is a skill that needs to be acquired through education. Without being flamed and, please, without unhelpful comments normally associated with tipping questions...........

what is the 'appropriate' tip for the concierges for a 7 day cruise?

(Please don't answer 'its up to you' or 'whatever you feel comfortable with' because as a foreigner to you customs we need true guidance!

Thankyou!

For us, it really depends upon how much we bug... er ... use the NL's Concierge.

 

If we do not use them very often (2 or 3 times) during a cruise we tip about $10.00 per day.

 

If we use them a lot, several times during a cruise, whether by phone or in person, we generally tip about $15 to $20. per day.

 

This last cruise of ours, we were on for 2 weeks and tipped $20 per day as we were there a lot both in person and on the phone:) We had no problems with anything ship or stateroom, but we used them for reservations, shore excursion cancellations, assisting us with our sail away party and many other things to include opening the doors for me to get in with my scooter, making sure we were ok during the heights of our storms and just generally being absolutely wonderful. Oh yeah, they also assisted us with setting up and arranging our wonderful In Room Dining/White Table Cloth experience with good friends in their stateroom:)

 

Joanie

[English_in_Spain]

Oh dear !!!

 

We seem to tip less than the rest of you. Unless there is an unusual use of the concierge we tip about $50 for a 7 day cruise for the 2 of us.

 

As I have mentioned before on CC, I do not find the Neptune Lounge as good a facility as everyone else.

 

Most things that they do there can be done at Front Office and I have not found we have to wait too long. We normally cruise in a de-luxe suite but last year on the Noordam, as it was such a long cruise, we were in a SY cabin so did not have the Neptune Lounge. To be honest I did not miss it. We found the staff at Front Office were just as helpful. We never had to wait very long and they were there for us 24 hours a day.

 

My criticism of the Neptune Lounge is that it is not open 24 hours as it is on other cruise lines. I would like to go in there for a coffee late at night or early in the morning.

 

[GmaPajama]

Oh dear !!!

 

We seem to tip less than the rest of you. Unless there is an unusual use of the concierge we tip about $50 for a 7 day cruise for the 2 of us. ...

 

I don't think my own tipping is necessarily typical. I've seen lots of people hand the concierge a $20 - and they are more than pleased to receive it. I truly don't think the concierges expect a tip, at least not to the extent a dining steward might hope for one. Being placed in the Neptune Lounge seems to be a reward all it's own, and I know for certain that some are excited when they get that assignment. It's simply a lovely place to work.

 

Our tips are welcome, I'm sure - but I don't think they are at all sought after.

[sail7seas7]

We may use the concierge more than some people do. Example: One cruise, we had 5 (yes FIVE) bottles of champagne waiting for us in our suite. We don't drink, so decided to have some CC friends in to put that champagne to good use. I mentioned it to the concierge, and she jumped into action. Printed up invitations, ordered ice buckets and glasses. She arranged for plenty of hors d'oeuvres, and stopped in several times during the little party to see what she could do to help. I was amazed.

 

 

 

Were we to ask the Concierge to assist with something of this sort, of course, we would tip more than if all we did was ask for change from a $100 bill, a dinner or salon reservation or something simple of that sort.

 

We tip varying amounts every cruise depending how much we asked of the concierges. It would be rare for us to not tip both, however, the primary concierge would get the higher amount almost always.

 

On one cruise, we liked the alternate much better than the primary for some odd reason. We usually waited for that person to be present to make any request. On that cruise, the alternate concierge recieved a higher tip from us at the end of the cruise.

 

As to what does a concierge on HAL ship help with?

 

Anything and everything.

Should you find yourself thinking you'd like help with whatever is happening or you want to happen, think concierge. The worst they can say is Sorry, we can't assist.

 

Nothing to lose by asking.

 

[We have been enjoying HAL concierge service on ships since Rotterdam first entered the fleet. We sailed her Inaugural New Years cruise and since that cruise (approx 1998), we have had any number of things accomplilshed for us. I hesitate to list those things here as I have an image of suddenly there being a barage of folks printing lists and converging on concierge asking for that whole list during one cruise. :eek: Of course, an exaggeration but an image from which I am finding humor.]

[Solo Cruiser]

As usual, the CC group is to the rescue. I'll make sure my friend gets all this great info and thanks for responding so quickly.

[Bippie]

Wow - I had no idea that people felt the urge to tip the concierge that much.

 

VMAX1700 - as a European, you don't need to catch the tipping bug so badly. On my recent 12 day Baltic cruise, we tipped each concierge (there are two) $25. Other than an occasional dinner reservation and tracking down a lost laundry item, I didn't use their services that much. I doubt anyone tips the regular staff who makes dining reservations - in fact, some of those are made on the phone and you wouldn't know who to tip. So why would I tip the concierge for simply doing their job? As per the lost laundry item, HAL shouldn't have lost it in the first place (but mistakes do happen).

 

If I asked them to go above and beyond their standard duties, I would gladly tip extra. Setting up a party in my suite? Yes, and extra tip might be justified.

 

You pay a lot to cruise in a suite and some of that is used to provide extra services such as the concierge. Don't worry about over-tipping. I'm surprised at the amount of extra tipping done by others but that is not true of all of us.

[VMax1700]

You pay a lot to cruise in a suite and some of that is used to provide extra services such as the concierge.

 

thanks Bippie! that's the way my mind was working. The suites with Neptune Lounge access are considerably more expensive than the other suites and that just cannot be down to the size of the real estate. Also, isn't the hotel charge a bit more for suites?

And my final thought on this, surely the Concierges, wonderful as they may be, are salaried staff just like the front desk. I would never consider tipping the front desk (or have I got that wrong too!:o)

[DaveOKC]

thanks Bippie! that's the way my mind was working. The suites with Neptune Lounge access are considerably more expensive than the other suites and that just cannot be down to the size of the real estate. Also, isn't the hotel charge a bit more for suites?

And my final thought on this, surely the Concierges, wonderful as they may be, are salaried staff just like the front desk. I would never consider tipping the front desk (or have I got that wrong too!:o)

 

As to tipping the concierges, as others have stated it eally depends on how much you use them. From what I have observed, not all suite guests tip them, so they seem to really appreciate those tips they do get. While I do not know if they are on salary or not, I am sure it is not a large salary and most can use the little extra.

 

As to tipping the front desk staff, I normally do not unless they really went out of their way to help me out with something extra. Of course I would not tip any of the officers or "professional" staff (such as the future cruise consultant).

 

I am sure that our tipping customs are a bit confusing and certainly varied. While I do not like the concept either (too much of a hassle), it is a nice way to extend your aprreciation of a job well done and/or extra service provided.

 

DaveOKC

[Randyk47]

thanks Bippie! that's the way my mind was working. The suites with Neptune Lounge access are considerably more expensive than the other suites and that just cannot be down to the size of the real estate. Also, isn't the hotel charge a bit more for suites?

And my final thought on this, surely the Concierges, wonderful as they may be, are salaried staff just like the front desk. I would never consider tipping the front desk (or have I got that wrong too!:o)

 

There is no difference in the hotel service charge for any cabin on HAL.

[VMax1700]

There is no difference in the hotel service charge for any cabin on HAL.

 

Sorry! you are right! It's Celebrity who have different rates for Suites and Aqua class.

[VMax1700]

it is a nice way to extend your aprreciation of a job well done and/or extra service provided.

 

DaveOKC

 

absolutely agree! It's the politics of tipping that drive me crazy!

[parrotfeathers]

I did not tip the concierge on my Eurodam cruise. I suppose I should have but I did my reservations, etc. online and only asked a couple of questions. She always seemed very involved with something on the computer and I felt as if I was interrupting her. The NL needs to stay open until at least l0 p.m.

[sail7seas]

I'm curious what you would do in Neptune Lounge until 10 P.M.?

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

I did not tip the concierge on my Eurodam cruise. I suppose I should have but I did my reservations, etc. online and only asked a couple of questions. She always seemed very involved with something on the computer and I felt as if I was interrupting her. The NL needs to stay open until at least l0 p.m.

 

Why to 10PM?

We have gone by there at 7:30 many times -- no one there.

What would you do till 10 PM in there?

There are so many other activities going on around the ship in the evening that I see no reason why it should remain open that long.

[sail7seas]

Front Office is staffed 24 hours and there is 24 hour Telephone Concierge Service available to Suite. Room Service and Lido can provide coffee.