Concierge Lunch

[drakes2]

I just upgraded from a regular balcony cabin to a C1 aft balcony. The last time I was in concierge class was in 2019 and lunch in the MDR on embarkation day was included. My CVP now says they can sometimes hold the lunch on the first sea day but doesn't make sense as DR is open to everyone.  Would anyone know first hand?  I was really looking forward to the special lunch. Cruise is September 26th 10 night Southern itinerary. 

[Alakegirl]

Yes, while it is usually held on embarkation day, there have been reports if it being held later in the cruise, which as you say makes no sense.  I remember one report where the ship had just returned to service and they said that’s why it wasn’t held on embarkation day but I think there have been a couple more cases, too

[drakes2]

12 minutes ago, Alakegirl said:

Yes, while it is usually held on embarkation day, there have been reports if it being held later in the cruise, which as you say makes no sense.  I remember one report where the ship had just returned to service and they said that’s why it wasn’t held on embarkation day but I think there have been a couple more cases, too

Well let's hope its on day 1 of cruise. This was the main reason for the upgrade. Don't really care about the afternoon appetizers as I'm not always around to enjoy them.

[ScottC4746]

1 minute ago, drakes2 said:

Well let's hope its on day 1 of cruise. This was the main reason for the upgrade. Don't really care about the afternoon appetizers as I'm not always around to enjoy them.

According to the APP it is day one of my upcoming cruise.

[jhskick]

Solstice June 17 it was 12:00 to 2:00 went to cabin dropped off carry on and went to  lunch. No problem. I think that is back to normal.  

[Purplsmurf]

We sailed Reflection in May and it was on the app as embarkation day from 12:30-2. We are sailing Millennium in a couple of weeks and it’s not on the app nor have I been able to get any confirmation of when it actually is. I think it varies by ship.

[jakebloke]

It was on embarkation day for my recent cruise last month.  

[drakes2]

58 minutes ago, jakebloke said:

It was on embarkation day for my recent cruise last month.  

Hopefully will be on Embarkation day. I'm on the September 26th Equinox. Not a fan of buffets.

[CharlieCharlieCharlie]

2 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

We sailed Reflection in May and it was on the app as embarkation day from 12:30-2. We are sailing Millennium in a couple of weeks and it’s not on the app nor have I been able to get any confirmation of when it actually is. I think it varies by ship.

In 2018 (could have been 2017, I forget which year) when sailing on the Millennium from Seward, Alaska, there was no Concierge lunch.  We were practically laughed at when we asked about it, and after the main dining room, we were sent to two different venues (one was Luminae*, where we were looked at and treated with disdain) to check on where it might be held.  One person finally told us that on that ship, it was just early access to the buffet (I dislike the buffet - any buffet.)  It was not a big deal to not have the embarkation lunch, but a disappointing and somewhat embarrassing waste of time searching. It is certainly possible that the embarkation concierge lunch is available now.

*The Luminae thing was weird, because we often sail in suites where we have been treated very well and enjoy the food in that restaurant. 

[Northern Aurora]

2 hours ago, CharlieCharlieCharlie said:

In 2018 (could have been 2017, I forget which year) when sailing on the Millennium from Seward, Alaska, there was no Concierge lunch.  We were practically laughed at when we asked about it, and after the main dining room, we were sent to two different venues (one was Luminae*, where we were looked at and treated with disdain) to check on where it might be held.  One person finally told us that on that ship, it was just early access to the buffet (I dislike the buffet - any buffet.)  It was not a big deal to not have the embarkation lunch, but a disappointing and somewhat embarrassing waste of time searching. It is certainly possible that the embarkation concierge lunch is available now.

*The Luminae thing was weird, because we often sail in suites where we have been treated very well and enjoy the food in that restaurant. 

 

We have boarded the Millennium in Seward.  With so many folks taking the cruise chartered train from the Anchorage airport to the siding beside the Seward cruise terminal (think warehouse) the ship is very empty until that chartered train run arrives.  We boarded around noon and there were few passengers on that ship.  A few dribbled on throughout the day but once that chartered train arrived the ship filled.  And my recollection is that the muster drill (we were on it pre-covid) wasn't until very late as the ship departed Seward (again, if my recollection is correct) about 8 PM. The fact that there would have been very few Concierge passengers onboard is most likely why there was no Concierge Class lunch.

 

When we boarded in Seward we were on a B2B so we disembarked in Seward two weeks later.  The same was true again as once there was a final boarding announcement for the early morning cruise chartered train that ship became a ghost ship.  Few passengers were still onboard.

[cublet]

Hello,

 

Last month on Silhouette it was on embarkation day but finished by 13.30.

 

Last year it was on the first sea day and I, for one, couldn't see why they bothered.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[BigAl94]

MDR open on sea days so no point.

[sgmn]

It was on boarding day on Silhouette in May and Beyond in June. Both finished by 1.30 or 2pm I believe, so if you had late boarding time  you were out of luck 

On Silhouette they kept plying us with wine, we didn't have the DP so we thought it was part of the 'special' lunch, but on Beyond we were charged for our wine.

 

Edited July 15, 2022 by sgmn

[drakes2]

23 minutes ago, sgmn said:

It was on boarding day on Silhouette in May and Beyond in June. Both finished by 1.30 or 2pm I believe, so if you had late boarding time  you were out of luck 

On Silhouette they kept plying us with wine, we didn't have the DP so we thought it was part of the 'special' lunch, but on Beyond we were charged for our wine.

 

I actually go to the lunch as I love the beef short ribs on the menu plus the fact I avoid the crowded buffet.   Since my cruise is out of Fort Lauderdale many will be onboard by lunch.

[cublet]

2 hours ago, BigAl94 said:

MDR open on sea days so no point.

Hello,

 

Apart from the fact that you then have two menus from which to choose.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[higgib]

3 hours ago, sgmn said:

It was on boarding day on Silhouette in May and Beyond in June. Both finished by 1.30 or 2pm I believe, so if you had late boarding time  you were out of luck 

On Silhouette they kept plying us with wine, we didn't have the DP so we thought it was part of the 'special' lunch, but on Beyond we were charged for our wine.

 

We were on Silhouette in June. We were successful in Moving Up to concierge and one of the things we were really looking forward to was the embarkation lunch. Prior to the move up we had been allocated an embarkation time of 1 - 1.30pm. We arrived at the port on time and were then kept waiting in the terminal for over an hour prior to boarding. We didn’t reach our cabin until 2.45pm to find our invitation to the lunch from 12 to 1.30pm. We were so disappointed and as we were starving had to use the buffet, which I hate on embarkation day, and was one of the main reasons for moving up to concierge. I complained to concierge the following day, and asked why no-one checked the move ups to make sure they were allocated an earlier embarkation time if necessary, and they just shrugged and thanked me for the suggestion!!!

[drakes2]

1 minute ago, higgib said:

. I complained to concierge the following day, and asked why no-one checked the move ups to make sure they were allocated an earlier embarkation time if necessary, and they just shrugged and thanked me for the suggestion!!!

Thats not good enough.  I would have complained and taken it further. That embarkation lunch is not free; we pay for it as part of the concierge class.

[higgib]

2 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Thats not good enough.  I would have complained and taken it further. That embarkation lunch is not free; we pay for it as part of the concierge class.

You’re right, but we’d waited 3 years for this holiday, and just wanted to enjoy it - not spend hours sat in the concierge office moaning. I did mention it to them again a couple of days later, and ask for the matter be escalated, but we then both contracted Covid so wasn’t able to follow it up.  I don’t actually think concierge is worth it (my husband said it was the most expensive plate of cheese cubes we’d ever had!) so lesson learned. We won’t be doing that again. 

[Alakegirl]

12 minutes ago, higgib said:

We were on Silhouette in June. We were successful in Moving Up to concierge and one of the things we were really looking forward to was the embarkation lunch. Prior to the move up we had been allocated an embarkation time of 1 - 1.30pm. We arrived at the port on time and were then kept waiting in the terminal for over an hour prior to boarding. We didn’t reach our cabin until 2.45pm to find our invitation to the lunch from 12 to 1.30pm. We were so disappointed and as we were starving had to use the buffet, which I hate on embarkation day, and was one of the main reasons for moving up to concierge. I complained to concierge the following day, and asked why no-one checked the move ups to make sure they were allocated an earlier embarkation time if necessary, and they just shrugged and thanked me for the suggestion!!!

They really don’t have any way of assigning move ups a special boarding time. YOU pick your boarding time when you do your check in.

[higgib]

1 minute ago, Alakegirl said:

They really don’t have any way of assigning move ups a special boarding time. YOU pick your boarding time when you do your check in.

The earliest time we were offered at check in was 1pm. And that was on the day on line check in opened. I assumed that embarkation was being started in the afternoon to allow for thorough cleaning between cruises, and the lunch would be timed appropriately. It took over an hour for us to get through the terminal, and we were horrified to discover that others had been on board since 11am and we’d missed the lunch. 

[drakes2]

42 minutes ago, higgib said:

You’re right, but we’d waited 3 years for this holiday, and just wanted to enjoy it - not spend hours sat in the concierge office moaning. I did mention it to them again a couple of days later, and ask for the matter be escalated, but we then both contracted Covid so wasn’t able to follow it up.  I don’t actually think concierge is worth it (my husband said it was the most expensive plate of cheese cubes we’d ever had!) so lesson learned. We won’t be doing that again. 

@higgibthey have all sorts of apps delivered to state room on Concierge class. I've had shrimp and hummus which we enjoyed. And if you don't care for something delivered you can ask for a substitution. I also like the sparkling wine as I order OJ in the morning and make my own mimosas.  No drinks package on this upcoming cruise. 

[higgib]

49 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

@higgibthey have all sorts of apps delivered to state room on Concierge class. I've had shrimp and hummus which we enjoyed. And if you don't care for something delivered you can ask for a substitution. I also like the sparkling wine as I order OJ in the morning and make my own mimosas.  No drinks package on this upcoming cruise. 

I think reading this that we were short changed. We were never offered any alternatives to the canapés and never offered sparkling wine either. Also, the binoculars and hairdryer that should have been in our cabin were also missing.  I couldn’t see the point of the concierge making restaurant bookings etc for us as it was just as easy to do this ourselves, and the concierges didn’t answer their phone anyway. Whenever I wanted to contact them, I ended up queuing at their office. As I say, and expensive mistake that we won’t be repeating! 

[goofysmom99]

46 minutes ago, higgib said:

We were never offered any alternatives to the canapés and never offered sparkling wine either. 

It's unfortunate that we have to request both the alternative canapés and the bubbly.  And sadly, if you don't know that, you miss out.  I usually remember to ask for the bubbly maybe half the time.  I'm gluten-free which means I receive some really weird canapés if I forget to request a cheese or fruit plate substitution.  I still book concierge class most often, primarily for cabin location.  

[sgmn]

4 hours ago, higgib said:

We were on Silhouette in June. We were successful in Moving Up to concierge and one of the things we were really looking forward to was the embarkation lunch. Prior to the move up we had been allocated an embarkation time of 1 - 1.30pm. We arrived at the port on time and were then kept waiting in the terminal for over an hour prior to boarding. We didn’t reach our cabin until 2.45pm to find our invitation to the lunch from 12 to 1.30pm. We were so disappointed and as we were starving had to use the buffet, which I hate on embarkation day, and was one of the main reasons for moving up to concierge. I complained to concierge the following day, and asked why no-one checked the move ups to make sure they were allocated an earlier embarkation time if necessary, and they just shrugged and thanked me for the suggestion!!!

How annoying. We booked our Silhouette holiday late and concierge was all that was available. Because of late booking we also had a late boarding time, but think we were a little early and were told by the people organising the queue to go straight into the check in building in Southampton because of concierge class.  We did join the general queue once inside but it moved quite quickly. We went straight to the dinning room and just squeaked in . We liked that they sat us on an 8 top and we had a lively lunch with our fellow diners. And as I said the wine flowed

Edited July 15, 2022 by sgmn

[CruiseOrRust]

21 hours ago, CharlieCharlieCharlie said:

In 2018 (could have been 2017, I forget which year) when sailing on the Millennium from Seward, Alaska, there was no Concierge lunch.  We were practically laughed at when we asked about it, and after the main dining room, we were sent to two different venues (one was Luminae*, where we were looked at and treated with disdain) to check on where it might be held.  One person finally told us that on that ship, it was just early access to the buffet (I dislike the buffet - any buffet.)  It was not a big deal to not have the embarkation lunch, but a disappointing and somewhat embarrassing waste of time searching. It is certainly possible that the embarkation concierge lunch is available now.

*The Luminae thing was weird, because we often sail in suites where we have been treated very well and enjoy the food in that restaurant. 

We were on Millennium sailing in concierge last month (June 10 Vancouver-Seward).  There was never an invitation for any concierge lunch.  On a positive note, our cabin steward graciously substituted a bottle of chardonnay for our (unwanted) bottle of bubbly.