Concierge vs Penthouse

[Mr Luxury]

Very nice bloke indeed

We were teenagers at the time but he still dressed up

They came to Canada in the 50's

 

I do believe Oceania carries Evian just ask your TA to make a note to special services that is what you would like to have in your cabin ...

 

Thanks Lyn,

 

I find that bottled water is very different,I only like it without gas and Evian is what I drink daily,some bottled water is very unpleasant.

[saratojo]

Back to the OP subject, we always go PH to get the extra room. I am 6'6" and like all the room I can get. I wish they had PH suites without the butler. The butler is nice but superfluous to our needs. We use him only to bring canapes to the room every day at cocktail hour. Maybe next trip we will try dining in-suite, but we prefer to table share in the various restaurants to meet new people. (We will be on Riviera TA in November 2014 Barcelona to Miami)

[juli2020]

Butlers on Oceania do seem to want to be utilized more than on the luxury ships. It could be because passengers typically give them tips (even when tipping is included).

 

How so?

I found the butlers on Oceania no different than the butlers on Regent.

The butlers are just glorified room stewards on Silversea....as they clean and make up the room with the steward unlike on Oceania and Regent.

 

I would venture to say that many passengers do tip the butlers on luxe lines that are all-inclusive. Maybe you don't but I know many that do.

[wripro]

MrLuxury,

 

Last time I was on both Evian and Pellegrino were available.

[Travelcat2]

How so?

I found the butlers on Oceania no different than the butlers on Regent.

The butlers are just glorified room stewards on Silversea....as they clean and make up the room with the steward unlike on Oceania and Regent.

 

I would venture to say that many passengers do tip the butlers on luxe lines that are all-inclusive. Maybe you don't but I know many that do.

 

In keeping with Regent's policy, I do not recommend tipping as it sets expectations that, IMO, should not be there. I do recommend donating to the Crew Fund -- which benefits all crew members -- not just the ones that are visible. While we have given monetary gifts on Regent, we are sure to explain that the money is a gift (Christmas is a good example) rather than a tip. We have also had butlers stand around waiting for a tip. This should never happen on Regent.

 

Oceania is a very different situation. Tipping is expected and rightfully so. When we were on Oceania we looked at the amounts that butlers receive each day and felt they were low. So, we tipped in addition to what we paid for at the end of the cruise.

 

Sometimes making comparisons between Regent and Oceania is not beneficial. Readers need to look at the whole picture, not just one tiny part of it (simply my opinion of course).

 

saratojo: If you do not want the butler to stop by your room to refill your refrigerator, etc., there is no reason why you cannot tell him that you would rather he not come. However, if you are paying for tips through Oceania, you will still have to pay for his services.

[Mr Luxury]

MrLuxury,

 

Last time I was on both Evian and Pellegrino were available.

 

Many thanks Henry.

[JMBobB]

SWMbI and I did our first cruise in a Nautica Concierge Cabin and enjoyed it. But last November's TA on Riviera in a PH1 did us in! It are the only way to fly... :D

 

The difference is how the larger space is laid out. We were able to comfortably entertain 3 other couples before dinner - with the considerable aid of our butler of course. The walk-in closet and way larger bath certainly didn't hurt none neither. :cool:

 

We were served breakfast by our butler twice before early shore departures. The food was excellent but will likely choose fewer items in future due to the limited space on the table at the foot of the bed. But it was fun and made us feel far more important that we are. :rolleyes:

 

We are confirmed Oceania Cruisers with a South American Cruise this March. We will ride Regatta - because that's where our winery chose to put its wines this year. Hence the need for extra straws at every onboard opportunity. But given our druthers we prefer the O ships (still trying to book a B2B on Marina in June but physical problems may bid that dream adieu). Sad as several couples we've met will be on one or the other.

 

One day hope to book a bed on the Top Bunk. Will have to think up a dandy excuse to do it though. :p

 

JMBobB

[YoHoHo]

Picture it:

The table is set with a snowy white cloth. Silver and Crystal glisten on the immaculately set table.

You are enjoying a glass of Champagne on the Veranda, watching the salt air whisp away the last of a sunset; as the Butler decants a young Pinot that you brought onboard in Spain.

 

Voilà, the perfect dinner à deux

 

If the aim of your cruise is "couple time", having a Butler just might be they key to your greatest success!

We have never enjoyed our butler's services as perfectly as you occasionally describe. In this post and others you describe so well how it should be if only we let them and our imagination do as they should. I have not much enjoyed dinner served at the foot of our bed in a Penthouse but will reconsider the whole scenario with this in mind. Thanks!

[wripro]

You're welcome, Mr. Luxury. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think.

[alpak]

+1

Check out the B3 EXTENDED balcony cabins, they can accommodate 2 loungers. Gives you the sense of extra space...you can always buy day passes to the the spa deck.

 

Doesn't it bother you that everyone else with a "regular" balcony can watch down onto your extended veranda? That's not what I expect when it comes to privacy. Frankly I never saw anyone actually using that extra space.

[warburg]

Back to the OP subject, we always go PH to get the extra room. I am 6'6" and like all the room I can get. I wish they had PH suites without the butler. The butler is nice but superfluous to our needs. We use him only to bring canapes to the room every day at cocktail hour. Maybe next trip we will try dining in-suite, but we prefer to table share in the various restaurants to meet new people. (We will be on Riviera TA in November 2014 Barcelona to Miami)

 

We are Riviera TA 2014 Barcelona to Miami, in PH as well. At 6'6", you will be easy to spot. We occasionally use the Executive Lounge to check if they have the Wall Street Journal. I paid for it on Marina. but never got it. Printing trouble, we were told.

 

I will ask the Concierge on embarkation day if it is possible to put a note in the daily paper on a sea day about a casual gathering of Cruise Critics in some venue or other, preferably one with a bar. Many lines host Meet and Greets, but O isn't one of them.

Mary

[Hawaiidan]

Doesn't it bother you that everyone else with a "regular" balcony can watch down onto your extended veranda? That's not what I expect when it comes to privacy. Frankly I never saw anyone actually using that extra space.

 

Not in the least....I could care less if people see me relaxing....I am not Howard Hughes . By the wayI can see them

 

Mr Luxury would be more than pleased that I was in the military, and my tailor is Gives & Hawkes on Savile row...#1

[DrJW]

Having recently sailed on Crysyal as well as Silversea..and prior to that on Royal Carribean and Princess as well as Renaissance [ over 10+ years ago ] I am curuous why some of you describe some of the features or services aboard the Marina as being 'quirky' in comparison to Silverea / Crystal. :confused:

 

My goodness, when one looks at the glossy brochure photos of the ship and the various dining venues on Oceania,,other than the number of passengers [ compared to Crystal] and the non inclusive features, I would think that Marina/Riviera is on the same luxury level as Crystal/Seabourne/Silversea. What am I missing?

Is is the service? The age of fellow of passengers [ surely not like Carnival 'fun ships' :( ]

The food ? The accomodations? The ports ? We are scheduled to sail on the Marina later this year...I'm hoping to experience a luxury cruise with fun fellow passengers ....eager to hear your thoughts?

Thanks so much!

[burm]

We like to spend much time with each other and are not so intressreade of socializing with other passengers, so a larger cabin is a strong argument for a PH.

But what about the other benefits, such as a butler? What can be expected of a butler on a cruise?

Are there any other "hidden" benefits of having a suite?

 

 

On our recent cruise we had the great pleasure of enjoying our first suite with the butler experience. We are not demanding people, and although we joked prior to the cruise about what we would have him doing for us, we did not expect much. We were most pleasantly surprised.

 

We told C that we ate early and therefore did not want canapes, which would spoil our appetite. One day we had a later than normal dinner reservation, due to a late day in port. Much to our delight, C had anticipated that we would need a snack to "tide us over" until our later seating. He knew our tastes by then, and brought us samosas - we love Indian food.

 

On another occasion I mentioned feeling like a cream puff from Jacques, but the restaurant was closed. When we returned to our cabin later that night, we found 2 giant cream puffs waiting in our cabin. :)

 

C knew we preferred the specialty restaurants, and once he made a reservation for us when we had not asked. He pointed out that he would not feel bad if we had other plans and he could easily cancel it. We happily accepted it.

 

When he delivered food from the Red Ginger, we noticed a dish that we had not ordered. Again, based on our past food choices, he just knew that we would enjoy this extra dish. We did.

 

One day we arrived back late from port, too tired and dirty to clean up for our usual 6:30 PM dinner. We had a double order of escargot delivered to our cabin and we changed our reservations to 8:30, so we had plenty of time to get ready.

 

A butler is certainly not essential to the enjoyment of a cruise, but I have to say that he made our cruise extra special.

[wripro]

Sounds like you had a really good and intuitive butler.

[burm]

Sounds like you had a really good and intuitive butler.

 

On a couple of occasions, I was not fully dressed when the butler knocked, so I hid in the walk in closet and DH let him in. C knew I was hiding and made a point of stopping at the closet door on his way out and saying "Good-bye, madame", and chuckling.:D

[Joanandjoe]

Oceania is very different than all-inclusive luxury cruise lines (not saying it is better or worse -- just different). While almost everything about Oceania is better than mainstream cruise lines, only certain things are better when compared to luxury cruise lines. We find the ship (décor and upper suites) and specialty restaurants superior to what we have see on Regent or Silversea. The service has been equal to luxury cruise lines. The rest of the experience needs some getting used to. Still, we look forward to our Riviera cruise in November.

 

Our next cruise is with you on the Regent Voyager, the one after that on the Marina. We look forward to discussing the differences between the two lines with you when we see you in July.