1st time penthouse/NCL

[ravenjls]

We leave in 2 days to start our Alaskan Sun Cruise. We got a call to upgrade from Balcony to a forward facing penthouse and we jumped on it. I am so excited....

 

Now we have absolutely no idea whats included as we have never cruised above a balcony and never cruised with NCL. With all the recent changes can someone please tell me the perks I should look forward to. Ive tried doing a search but the ones of the sun are before the changes and not very good.

 

I know a butler but what does a butler do?

Ive read a designated embarkation line. Is it before check-in or after check-in?

 

Thanks in advanced!!!!!

Edited June 17, 2015 by ravenjls

[boopsahoy]

We leave in 2 days to start our Alaskan Sun Cruise. We got a call to upgrade from Balcony to a forward facing penthouse and we jumped on it. I am so excited....

 

Now we have absolutely no idea whats included as we have never cruised above a balcony and never cruised with NCL. With all the recent changes can someone please tell me the perks I should look forward to. Ive tried doing a search but the ones of the sun are before the changes and not very good.

 

I know a butler but what does a butler do?

Ive read a designated embarkation line. Is it before check-in or after check-in?

 

Thanks in advanced!!!!!

 

All my answers are based on the Gem-

 

Priority boarding and disembarking-make sure to tell them when you get to the port you have a suite!

 

Complimentary breakfast and lunch in Cagneys (or in your suite) Butler service: he will bring snacks every day (you can be surprised or tell him what you want) dvds if you want (suite usually has dvd player) Snacks of any kind all day/night. He keeps the Lavazza coffee maker with coffees and teas. I always ask for a pitcher of ice tea in my fridge and some creamer and milk. He will serve you meals in your room if you want as well.

 

You also have a concierge who will make reservations for you etc.

 

I am sure I am leaving out a lot! I love the PH suite:D

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited June 17, 2015 by boopsahoy

[Loucat]

We had a forward facing penthouse on the Sun and it was great!

NCL does a good job with suite perks and you will enjoy all there is to enjoy!

There is a cocktail hour to meet the officers; snacks late afternoon, priority tendering (you might not need this); breakfast in a specialty restaurant (varies by ship); access to concierge who makes reservations and solves all issues so well.

Service is exceptional.

When you arrive at the terminal, there is a special area for suite passengers. They have food (not that you need it) and your butler escorts you to your stateroom.

We loved our stateroom and the support of the butler and concierge. Once you do this, it will be hard to settle for less.

Have a wonderful time!

[perkydebrajean]

Congrats on the suite!

 

We asked our butler to keep a pitcher of iced tea in our fridge and when I told him that my husband has a sweet tooth, besides the normal afternoon snacks he brought he also put a plate of fresh baked cookies in our room each day.

 

We enjoyed the breakfast and lunch for the suites and would have breakfast delivered to the room on port days so that we didn't have to rush to get dressed and go eat before leaving the ship. There will be room service cards in the suite if you want breakfast delivered. When we cruised I asked the butler about omelets and he told me that if what I wanted wasn't listed on the card then just to write in what we wanted.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[bonvoyagie]

Butlers seem to vary as to their want to anticipate your needs vs reacting to your requests. This is based on the reports posted here. My experience has been the reactionary butler - they will do what you request, when you request it. They do not try and anticipate your needs. For me that is great, I sometimes like to fend for myself :D.

 

We were spoiled by being upgraded to a penthouse on our very first cruise ever - so not only were we wowed with the whole ship and cruise experience they added the extra whipped cream and two cherries as well :D

 

On our last cruise (to AK on the Pearl) we once again had our penthouse suite. The butler came and introduced himself, showed us around the cabin and the coffee maker, showed us how to use the phone to reach him (or his back up). About the only time we used him was for some in suite dining. He did deliver the usual afternoon treats and kept up with the coffee stuff.(or had the room steward do it).

 

The concierge will handle any of your needs outside of the suite - ours was always around the "suite restaurant" in the mornings taking care of getting people off the ship early and arranging special tours etc. It seemed like we ran into ours almost everywhere on the ship. He always said hi and asked how the cruise was going. He also arranged for my MIL to get her boarding passes printed prior to leaving the ship so she could breeze through check in at the airport.

 

We celebrated a wedding anniversary while onboard - We had to leave the suites reception early as we had booked reservations for a special dinner. At the time we were talking with the director of housekeeping - his ears perked up and he asked us where we were dining and what suite we were in.

 

When we were done with dinner - the concierge came by with the waiters and a cake and sang to us - when we returned to the suite it was fully decorated with streamers and balloons - plus another bottle of bubbly :D again it was a nice touch. - also on our first cruise we had just celebrated a wedding anniversary and our TA pushed hard for NCL to upgrade us - we also got a cake - but no extra decorations or bubbly.

 

You will also get one bottle of sparling wine on embarkation day.

There is also a reception with the officers on one of the sea days.

 

 

ENJOY your cruise and suite - you will be spoiled for life ;)

[SuiteTraveler]

When you go to the port, after security, report the VIP Check In - sometimes it is a room to the side or a different booth. If you need to wait a bit, there will be a VIP waiting room with coffee and tea and sandwiches and pastries. When it is time to board, you will be escorted onto the ship and either taken to your suite, if it is ready or to Cagney's where you will have cocktails and sliders until your room is ready and Cagney's is open for lunch for suite guests - do go to this lunch it is FABULOUS!

 

In you suite you will find:

welcome aboard sparkling wine

welcome aboard large bottle of water

welcome aboard flower arrangement

upgraded bathroom amenities from Elemis (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion)

Butler service (room service, pillow menu - you can get contour foam pillows if you want)

Concierge service (show, dining and excursion reservations, priority disembarkation, priority tendering, questions about the ship, help that guest services would normally provide other passengers.)

Special seating for suite guests in the theater (ask concierge)

Breakfast and lunch for suite guests in Cagney's (it's great - definitely go you will be surprised!)

Lavazza coffee maker and accoutrements

You will find dishes and glasses and cutlery in your stateroom for in-suite dining.

DVD player (bring any movies you want to watch from home) DVD library menu (get from the butler - but ask on the first day. The DVD's on the ship tend to be older, so I just bring whatever I want to watch from home.)

Binoculars - unfortunately these tend to be very used, so I would bring my own, especially for Alaska

Spa Robes and slippers

 

Afternoon hors d'ouerves - ask you butler to bring you a standing order of things you like, if you want for refreshment after shore excursions. We always ask for a cheese plate and a turkey sandwich plus a bottle of chardonnay, but he could bring you anything - hot wings, any kind of sandwiches, any kind of cocktail to enjoy in your stateroom - anything you want from any restaurant as long as it is open at the time you order! The butler always delivers the Hors d'ouerves around 4 - 4:30pm, maybe a bit later, so I ask for the standing order and he brings it all at the same time. If you want room service breakfast due to an early excursion, tell your butler what you want the afternoon before via the room service card or call him. In the evening, there is a night butler who takes your regular butler's place and you can call him for other room service or even place your breakfast order with him.

 

Your butler and concierge will try very hard to never say no to you and get you anything you want. Tip them both as they are not included in the prepaid gratuities. We give our butler $10 per day per person and extra if he does stuff like arranges an in-suite party for us and our concierge $50 or more for a 1 week cruise.

 

About those in suite parties - we had a butler one time who looked like a model and was a big ham, so we got him to pose for prank photos with our party guests. We were in an Owner's Suite and we had our guests pretend it was their room and that the butler was serving them for some prank photos to take back home and show their friends. Our butler did hilarious things like pretend to feed one of the guests grapes as he reclined on our chaise lounge. It didn't take up a lot of his time, and the butler seemed to be having a great time. Of course, the butler got an extra $100 for doing this.

 

If there is a special event such as a birthday or anniversary, let the butler know and he will bring a cake. On our last cruise on Getaway, we wound up with a total of 3 b-day cakes for my husband:

1 I bought from Carlo's Bake Shop and had delivered the first day

1 from the butler

1 from Ocean Blu - which was a different cake from Carlo's Bake shop.

 

If you have status with NCL, you will receive a gift. Gold is currently a box of 4 Godiva chocolates. I think you will also receive 2 ships pins, if you have gold status.

 

You will be invited to a special event for suite guests in The Haven with ship's officers and free cocktails and hand passed hors d'ouerves.

 

I do want to caution you that with the UDP, reservations in specialty restaurants are harder to come by, so it makes sense to make your reservations in advance via the internet. Otherwise, your concierge will try her best, but on this class of ships, Teppanyaki is constantly sold out and it may be hard to get into Cagney's or Le Bistro. The concierge can also make suite guests a reservation for the MDR - no waiting!

 

Enjoy your suite! This is going to be a fantastic cruise!

[ravenjls]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer me! I really appreciate it. After reading all your responses I am even more excited than before. I had purchased the UDP before we upgraded so I have my dinner reservations.

 

How does the UBP work with having cocktails in your suite?

 

I am so glad it was mentioned that the butler/concierge are not included in your

daily service charge. Do you tip them daily or at the end of the cruise?

[hpecorari]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer me! I really appreciate it. After reading all your responses I am even more excited than before. I had purchased the UDP before we upgraded so I have my dinner reservations.

 

How does the UBP work with having cocktails in your suite?

 

I am so glad it was mentioned that the butler/concierge are not included in your

daily service charge. Do you tip them daily or at the end of the cruise?

 

Most tip at the end of the cruise.....as I do.

 

Harriet

[boopsahoy]

Most tip at the end of the cruise.....as I do.

 

Harriet

 

Like Harriet said ^

[david_sobe]

The first time in a suite is always the best :)

Even though the Sun does not have a Haven area, you still will receive tons of pampering. My best suite experience was on the Sky that is the sister ship of Sun. The concierge will check in with you twice a day to help you plan your day. The butler can serve you most anything you want on your huge balcony.

Enjoy

[vince_g]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer me! I really appreciate it. After reading all your responses I am even more excited than before. I had purchased the UDP before we upgraded so I have my dinner reservations.

 

How does the UBP work with having cocktails in your suite?

 

I am so glad it was mentioned that the butler/concierge are not included in your

daily service charge. Do you tip them daily or at the end of the cruise?

 

 

The UBP does not include room service, so any cocktails delivered to the suite will end up on your tab.

[vince_g]

The first time in a suite is always the best :)

Even though the Sun does not have a Haven area, you still will receive tons of pampering. My best suite experience was on the Sky that is the sister ship of Sun. The concierge will check in with you twice a day to help you plan your day. The butler can serve you most anything you want on your huge balcony.

Enjoy

 

Perhaps the Concierge checks in with guests twice a day on the Sky, but that was not my experience on the Breakaway. While he or his assistant were happy to help with anything we needed, and were always there if we needed them, they never checked in. This is most likely because of the larger number of Haven guests on Breakaway.

[cmdchiefthom]

;)I'm not sure it anyone mentioned the absolutely huge balcony you will have stepping out of your cabin door and having the water stretch out in front of you. We love the Sun, and I'm sure you will enjoy the views. If you have a chance, check out the wings in the Sports Bar, all the way aft, and if Gopish is the bartender there, tell him Thom and Waz say hello.:D Have a great cruise.

[ravenjls]

Great info! I will definitely check out the wings and let Gopish know you said hi (if he is still there)

[hpecorari]

Maybe it's just me.....but I've never been a fan of NCL wings!

 

Harriet

[david_sobe]

Perhaps the Concierge checks in with guests twice a day on the Sky, but that was not my experience on the Breakaway. While he or his assistant were happy to help with anything we needed, and were always there if we needed them, they never checked in. This is most likely because of the larger number of Haven guests on Breakaway.

Of course...the mega ships like Epic, BA, and GA, the concierge is chained to the desk and has no time to check on anyone. Even though there is no Haven area on Sun/Sky the service on the smaller ships is extremely personal.

[boopsahoy]

Of course...the mega ships like Epic, BA, and GA, the concierge is chained to the desk and has no time to check on anyone. Even though there is no Haven area on Sun/Sky the service on the smaller ships is extremely personal.

 

Very true. On the Gem when Carlos is the Concierge he checks on you every day! Something to be said for the smaller ships!

[HMANSION LOVER]

We leave in 2 days to start our Alaskan Sun Cruise. We got a call to upgrade from Balcony to a forward facing penthouse and we jumped on it. I am so excited....

 

Now we have absolutely no idea whats included as we have never cruised above a balcony and never cruised with NCL. With all the recent changes can someone please tell me the perks I should look forward to. Ive tried doing a search but the ones of the sun are before the changes and not very good.

 

I know a butler but what does a butler do?

Ive read a designated embarkation line. Is it before check-in or after check-in?

 

Thanks in advanced!!!!!

 

Awesome hope you enjoy :D If I may ask, how much did the up-sale cost. We have a balcony (deck 10) for our 25th anniversary and we are curious if, as it gets closer to sail date, we would receive a call to up-sell as we are traveling in March which is a somewhat slower season. Maybe we will have the same good luck as you, provided we can afford the $$$. Once again enjoy your vacation and remember that even a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work

[Iluvcruising2]

NCL does a fantastic job with their suite perks.

 

We enjoyed our NCL Jade Penthouse suite.

 

Here is a video of the suite.

 

[YOUTUBE]POIy0VzgXGw[/YOUTUBE]

[ravenjls]

I dont mind at all. We were upgraded from a BA balcony to a forward facing SG penthouse for 500 pp. This was 5 days before cruise. At first I thought it was going to be an even better bargain as the promo right now NCL is offering includes UDP, wifi plus something else. I thought since we were planning on doing wifi and UDP that if I dont have to pay for them than the upgrade would be a REAL bargain. BUT the promotions that they offer are NOT included in your upgrade. You wont lose any that you already have tho so we got to keep the UBP.

 

What I did do was check out the next sailing (these prices have been dropping drastically too since its so close to sailing) which still had that cabin available and it is still more than 2500 what I paid in total.

[KNITWITS]

We did an upsell to a Family Suite, and I thought I read somewhere that the perks although great are not the same as the other suites? I may be wrong, but am looking forward to having the suite perks and Butler and don't want to ask for something not included.