First Time in a Suite

[jaxjag8]

We have booked the Penthouse on the Dawn and this is our first time in a suite. What kind of things will the Butler and Concierge do and not do? What should we expect? I know there might be some other threads on this subject, but I just wanted to ask...:confused:

[Love my butler]

The concierge will not scare up a fishing pole so you can fish off the bow. I might have been expecting too much with that request. Maybe we had a slacker for a concierge that week.

[Demonyte]

We have booked the Penthouse on the Dawn and this is our first time in a suite. What kind of things will the Butler and Concierge do and not do? What should we expect? I know there might be some other threads on this subject, but I just wanted to ask...:confused:

 

As you said, there are a lot of threads around the subject, usually very long and comprehensive ones. Please read at least few of them and then ask if there is something you're still wondering (which I honestly highly doubt).

 

Happy cruising, suite life is great. We've booked our third suite also on Dawn, next spring. :)

[Nalagh]

The concierge will not scare up a fishing pole so you can fish off the bow. I might have been expecting too much with that request. Maybe we had a slacker for a concierge that week.

 

:rolleyes: I am sure that helped

[Nalagh]

Hope this helps. Please do not be shy with questions!

 

Happy Planning!

 

Cherie

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1437066

[psycomac]

Pish Posh on those who will come down on you for asking a question that has been addressed 'on many other threads'. I myself have asked questions after searching through and being bombarded with information that was just a *little* off from what I was looking for. Regardless, ask away. What else is a forum for if not to ask questions, say hello, mingle and be social. If they don't want to answer your question, they certainly don't have to open your thread.

 

That being said, we're looking at booking our first suite as well and were wondering the same thing. How much is too much? Are we going to look like pretentious asshats with our requests? Will we miss something and not get all that we're supposed to?

 

The way I look at it is this; they are there to help make your life a little easier, and to make your vacation special and to make YOU feel special. That doesn't mean you can tell them to get down and scrub the bathroom floor with their toothbrush, but it does mean asking for (and getting) special treats in your room in the afternoon, having your minibar stocked with only your favorite drink (I plan on making sure there's always half n half in there for my coffee), bringing you loungers to your balcony if they will fit and are not there when you arrive...stuff like that. Someone even said once that on a 'behind the scenes' tour, their butler tracked them down and brought their forgotten camera after a quick phone call.

 

As for the concierge, if it's outside of your cabin and a 'service' issue, more than likely they can handle it for you. Booking dinner reservations, shows, shore excursions, that sort of thing. Don't be afraid to ask. Imagine you were in their position, what would you think you'd be asked to do?

 

Above all, have fun! You're going to be amazed at just how special you'll feel when someone shows you that next level up of service related attention.

 

Just be sure there's no added fee to whatever you may request...having the butler come and get your laundry is probably perfectly acceptable but don't be surprised when you're charged for the service after all is said and done :)

[Magickpyggie]

For me the best Suite perk is Cagneys for breakfast and lunch, it is simply the best and I always make friends with the staff, quite often we are the only ones in there. Our Concierge, Carlos called every night at the Suite to make sure all was well and to have a chat, arranged special treats for us and has become a good friend, he knew all the best places to eat ashore, and had lots of tips and suggestions. Roshan the Butler brought us dinner to the room from the MDR twice, very romantic. They are all away from home too and love to chat as well. Just enjoy the whole experience

[mabones]

Was just on Epic Haven & loved our Concierge. He got us in before each show to pick any seat we wanted. Of course, front row! He made our dining reservations for us & we always had the best tables. He also sets up Spa services for you.

 

The Butler brings you anything you need for your Suite. Just let him/her know what your preferences are. If there is a particular fruit you prefer, it will be there every day. If you want sandwiches or chocolate coverered strawberries he will make sure that you have them.

 

You will be spoiled, for sure!

[esp13]

I was in a suite for the first time last December and learned a few things, I think. First off, I was convinced that we would not use the concierge that much. I mean, we usually pre-book excursions and dinners. Boy, was I wrong. Monica was wonderful and helped us change an excursion time at GSC (er, that is, change us to a different time for the same excursion), helped us move a reservation when we were running late, got us our invites to a couple of cocktail parties with officers and staff, got us into the chocolate buffet early, got us off the ship with priority disembarkation both in ports and back in Miami. Honestly, she was amazing and I loved every little benefit.

 

Our butler is great as well, although I am embarassed that I can not remember his name for the life of me. Thanks to the pre-concierge service, he had our wants for our room when we boarded and had them taken care of except of the beer and wine and that was only because he wanted to save us money on the tax by waiting until we had sailed. He brought us breakfast several mornings, more than one margarita and bottle of wine, and we loved our daily afternoon snacks.

 

The long and the short of it is that while I did not expect to be using the butler and concierge services all that much, I was wrong. We never asked our butler to do anything out of the ordinary, but the ordinary was more than enough. In fact, we were so spoiled, that American Airlines had to totally screw up our flight home just so we could reminded that we really weren't all that special after all. The suite life on the Pearl had made us forget that for a week.

[Cruisin&Relaxin]

Was just on Epic Haven & loved our Concierge. He got us in before each show to pick any seat we wanted. Of course, front row! He made our dining reservations for us & we always had the best tables. He also sets up Spa services for you.

 

The Butler brings you anything you need for your Suite. Just let him/her know what your preferences are. If there is a particular fruit you prefer, it will be there every day. If you want sandwiches or chocolate coverered strawberries he will make sure that you have them.

 

You will be spoiled, for sure!

 

When a person is asking what to expect from the concierge on the Dawn, please do not answer with a response that is specific to the Epic. The concierge on the Dawn and the Jewel Class ships do NOT get you into each show to pick any seats you want. They may do that on the Epic, but they do NOT do this on the Dawn.

[MrsNancyG]

 

That being said, we're looking at booking our first suite as well and were wondering the same thing. How much is too much? Are we going to look like pretentious asshats with our requests? Will we miss something and not get all that we're supposed to?

 

Just as an FYI, I recently had a thread asking for Haven related questions to be asked of an NCL official whom I will be interviewing. (For the record the thread is closed for questions at this point.) What you mention here has already been included in the list of questions, so just watch for my thread in the coming days/week(s) for answers directly from someone in the know. (Just as an aside, I'm with you, I've never had this experience, but I'm planning to make the most out of it. Which is probably exactly what the cruise line wants us to do. But I too worry about asking for something that would scream "White Trash Alert!" or "Scrimper/Saver here! Can't afford this luxury without saving for a couple of years first."

 

By the same token, with all this saving and planning, I don't intend on missing out on ANYTHING the Haven has to offer. Except maybe the gym. I don't DO gyms...

[francina]

It's my first time in a suite. I really won't have much use for butler except to have dinner in our room or breakfast on our balcony once in a while. And of course looking forward to the goodies he/she will bring.

[Fishbait17]

It's my first time in a suite. I really won't have much use for butler except to have dinner in our room or breakfast on our balcony once in a while. And of course looking forward to the goodies he/she will bring.

 

That is exactly what "use for the butler" is.. Enjoy! :)

 

Robin

[esp13]

It's my first time in a suite. I really won't have much use for butler except to have dinner in our room or breakfast on our balcony once in a while. And of course looking forward to the goodies he/she will bring.

 

That pretty much covers 99% of what most people consider "use for the butler." The only other thing that our butler did was bring drinks and set up the room based on what we requested from the pre-cruise concierge service with NCL.

[topguy]

I enjoyed the suite life on the Dawn and the Jade. NCL has the best suite perks. Cagney's for breakfast and lunch was terrific. The butler brings an afternoon snack each day. Sometimes, it's sandwiches, cookies, canapes, etc. You can call the butler to bring you a DVD from their video library. You will have a catalog of selections in your suite. The butler will address any problem that you may have with your suite.

The concierge will book reservations for you. At ports, the suite guests met at Cagney's and the concierge escorted them off the ship by a special elevator bypassing the lineup to get off the ship. The concierge was there at the special seating area for the suite guests in the showroom. They made sure that no one sat in the section that was set aside for the suite guests, so that you could get a seat. The list goes on.

[mabones]

When a person is asking what to expect from the concierge on the Dawn, please do not answer with a response that is specific to the Epic. The concierge on the Dawn and the Jewel Class ships do NOT get you into each show to pick any seats you want. They may do that on the Epic, but they do NOT do this on the Dawn.

 

My my! Someone sounds a little grumpy! I have only been in a Suite one time. The Op asked what does the Concierge &Butler do. To me, it shouldn't make any difference what ship you are sailing.

[Cruisin&Relaxin]

My my! Someone sounds a little grumpy! I have only been in a Suite one time. The Op asked what does the Concierge &Butler do. To me, it shouldn't make any difference what ship you are sailing.

 

Consider yourself a bit more educated now. It makes a big difference on NCL.

[francina]

I would agree with you that there should be unity among the position among the ships. However, there are always exceptions. What one would do for you might not do for another. However, I bet their job description are the same.

[mabones]

I agree. The Concierge takes care of anything outside the Suite while the Butler handles inside the Suite. Our Concierge, Adrian, was able to get us on the Chef's Table list. Seriously, it doesn't matter which Ship you are on, the Concierge/Butler are there to make sure you have the best experience on "Their" Ship. You appreciate them more when you have saved for a few years to upgrade to a Suite for a "special" occasion.

[rvsullivan]

I think the point was making generic statements about the perks does not work. On some ships there might be reserved seating for shows, on other ships (Star for example) reserved seating is for OS, DOS and GV only. When folks post these things as "standard" folks get upset when they are not offered on their cruise.

Some things are for every ship, Cagney's or other special dining for breakfast and lunch are universal. Reserved show seating is not.

I think since the OP was asking about the Dawn, it was being pointed out that reserved seating for shows was not available. Everyone is trying to help.

[mikewrit]

We took an upsell to a forward suite on a repositioning cruise from San Pedro to Vancouver, B.C. just to sample the suite life from the perspective of scrimp cruisers. The concierge treated us like the social climbers we were, and we hardly saw her during the three-day experience. The butler was new to the ship and very much occupied learning his surroundings and duties. We saw him maybe four times, twice for perfunctory delivery of hors'd'oevres. Cagney's was nice, but hardly nice enough to justify the price of the suite experience. We aim to sail more in cheaper billets.

[DMH15]

We took an upsell to a forward suite on a repositioning cruise from San Pedro to Vancouver, B.C. just to sample the suite life from the perspective of scrimp cruisers. The concierge treated us like the social climbers we were, and we hardly saw her during the three-day experience. The butler was new to the ship and very much occupied learning his surroundings and duties. We saw him maybe four times, twice for perfunctory delivery of hors'd'oevres. Cagney's was nice, but hardly nice enough to justify the price of the suite experience. We aim to sail more in cheaper billets.

 

I pay full price and find it is worth every penny for ME. Isn't it great we can all cruise NCL and have the cruise experience we desire?

[psycomac]

Just as an FYI, I recently had a thread asking for Haven related questions to be asked of an NCL official whom I will be interviewing. (For the record the thread is closed for questions at this point.) What you mention here has already been included in the list of questions, so just watch for my thread in the coming days/week(s) for answers directly from someone in the know.

 

 

I know, and I wasn't asking the question as a fresh ask, I was explaining my thought process behind my own questions in the past so as to show like mindedness with the OP. But thank you for taking the time to try to (and succeed in) interview(ing) the NCL person. I'm sure we'll appreciate whatever info you're able to glean. :)

[psycomac]

My my! Someone sounds a little grumpy! I have only been in a Suite one time. The Op asked what does the Concierge &Butler do. To me, it shouldn't make any difference what ship you are sailing.

 

I was thinking the same thing and quite honestly it's not the first time I've seen that poster get snooty with a reply.

 

Even if some of the perks are *not* universal, it might give the OP (or anyone else with the same question) an idea of a jumping off point on where to start with their requests. It can't hurt to ask 'can you reserve seating for us for a show? I heard some past guests say that sometimes is an option.' The worst they can say is no but if they might say yes, you won't know unless you ask.

 

And maybe it *is* a universal perk except that your service staff was met with the same attitude that you appear to gift upon your fellow posters/travelers and they decided that maybe they couldn't do that for you after all....remember honey vs vinegar :rolleyes:

[pathubia]

One thing I havent seen mentioned, but when we were on the Dawn the concierge met the suite guests for early access to the Chocolate Buffet before everyone else!! It was great to see everything before it had been picked through!!