First time Platinum on NCL Viva

[MSUjohn]

"conceirge services"

am i the only person that does not care about this?

is it some sort of pseudo-class signifier or something?

[complawyer]

even on the ships that have a haven complex, if i booked a non-haven suite, i still got a concierge perk. remember, within the complex, there is usually a restaurant and lounge area, and you are correct, there is usually a concierge desk.

 

than being said, however, in a regular suite, i have always found a concierge in moderno's when we go for breakfast

[goldmom]

12 minutes ago, complawyer said:

even on the ships that have a haven complex, if i booked a non-haven suite, i still got a concierge perk. remember, within the complex, there is usually a restaurant and lounge area, and you are correct, there is usually a concierge desk.

 

than being said, however, in a regular suite, i have always found a concierge in moderno's when we go for breakfast

Yes, that is the case on the older ships like the Dawn and Jewel class.  However, once you get to the Breakaway and above class ships which have the Haven restaurant the Concierge desk is located within the Haven complex and you need key card access to get in.  

[complawyer]

mscjohn, it has nothing to do with any type of "class signifier" you are either mistaken, or misunderstand the services available.

 

the concierge is just another "perk" attached to a specific category of cabins.

 

in  platinum and above you get a free bag of laundry, and a behind the scenes tour. this is just another perk, only a few steps up.

 

while you may not personally care about this, a concierge is there to help with any problems that may occur or answer anu questions someone may have. he is also able to arrange restaurant reservations even if the particular facility is listed as "booked out"

 

he can facilitate shore excursion tickets, and bring them directly to your cabin, if given advanced notice, he can arrange transportation to either the airport or the hotel after the disembarkation,

my personal favorite (which i have mentioned many times before) is his ability to get  you off the ship within 15-20 minutes of docking. you dont have to wait until you color is called, dont need to wait on  a crowded stairway, or fight for an elevator on the last morning. 

 

if you are booked into a cabin that offers you the concierge, if you choose not to use his services that's entirely up to you...  no harm no foul.

 

personally, i think  you are doing y ourself a disservice if you have a concierge and dont use him/her

 

 

[complawyer]

gold mom, not so! if youre booked into a suite you get  the services of the concierge.

 

been there, done that

[goldmom]

10 minutes ago, complawyer said:

gold mom, not so! if youre booked into a suite you get  the services of the concierge.

 

been there, done that

Yes, I understand that.  I have been on Jewel class ships many times, both in and out of the Haven.

What I was trying to say is that if someone who has Platinum perks was trying to speak to the Concierge (and not booked in a suite) they could technically approach him on Jewel class ships as the Concierge is generally in Moderno's in the mornings.  But, on the newer ships the Concierge is in the Haven complex which the Platinum member would not be able to access.

Sorry I didn't make myself clear.

[KeithJenner]

53 minutes ago, MSUjohn said:

"conceirge services"

am i the only person that does not care about this?

is it some sort of pseudo-class signifier or something?

You certainly aren’t the only one. Generally my only dealings with a concierge is trying to stop them messing with something I have already done or am perfectly capable of doing myself.

 

If there was a box to tick to tell them to ignore me then I certainly would.

 

To be fair, the NCL concierges are a lot less intrusive than some you get at hotels. They can be really pushy and annoying,

[complawyer]

whenever we booked a suite category cabin, even if a haven suite was also available, we had access to the "true" concierge services. 

and goldmom, while i cant say with 100% certainty, im pretty sure unless you're booked into a cabin that offers the concierge service, you wont have access to the concierge. if you go up to moderno, the person at the desk, checks your name and your key card. if it doesnt show suite, you just aint getting in. also, im not really sure the concierge will help you if youre not in that category. not to be snobbish about it, but his job is to assist people staying in suites, or haven cabins. seems to me otherwise be would be inundated with requests from all sides.

 this just seems to be one of the perks, that if you want  it, you have to pay for it.

 

 

[MSUjohn]

4 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

You certainly aren’t the only one. Generally my only dealings with a concierge is trying to stop them messing with something I have already done or am perfectly capable of doing myself.

 

If there was a box to tick to tell them to ignore me then I certainly would.

 

To be fair, the NCL concierges are a lot less intrusive than some you get at hotels. They can be really pushy and annoying,

100%

if i am staying at a hotel for i week i only want housekeeping in my room a couple of times.
if i need anything i can usually ask the front desk. 

[debenson0723]

5 hours ago, complawyer said:

whenever we booked a suite category cabin, even if a haven suite was also available, we had access to the "true" concierge services. 

and goldmom, while i cant say with 100% certainty, im pretty sure unless you're booked into a cabin that offers the concierge service, you wont have access to the concierge. if you go up to moderno, the person at the desk, checks your name and your key card. if it doesnt show suite, you just aint getting in. also, im not really sure the concierge will help you if youre not in that category. not to be snobbish about it, but his job is to assist people staying in suites, or haven cabins. seems to me otherwise be would be inundated with requests from all sides.

 this just seems to be one of the perks, that if you want  it, you have to pay for it.

 

 

There are different procedures for different ships. On the Prima and Viva, the Haven concierge is only for Haven guests. If you are in a Suite, you will have access to breakfast and lunch in Cagney's (there is no Moderno on board). The GMs secretary acts as the concierge for Suite guests. She has a desk inside the restaurant during those times and will be happy to help with requests for Suite guests. I never once saw anyone approach her during meal times. 

For qualifying Latitudes members not in a Suite or Haven, concierge 'service' is handled thru the CruiseNext desk but don't expect much. Like others, I can pretty much do everything myself and have never had a need for a concierge. YMMV

[Panhandle Couple]

On 8/27/2024 at 4:52 PM, schmoopie17 said:

Ain't that the truth. We'll be taking our first cruise as Platinum in a couple weeks. But because it's a continuous loop between Barcelona and Rome with zero sea days, we don't anticipate having Wines Around the World or the Behind the Scenes tour. At least we can look forward to our halves of chocolate-covered strawberries and free laundry. I'm all a-flutter.

 

When NCL started throwing around extra miles for cruises a while back, it seems everyone and his brother/sister became Platinum. 

Well, not really.

We did the same cruise in May, (Escape) and there were 4,300 people on board.  Only 47 were Sapphire and higher.  Only 300 were Platinum.

In fact, 3,200 or so were on their very first NCL cruise.  After talking to many folks, our guess is 2,000 or more were on their first EVER cruise.  Many others had only sailed 2 or 3 times with other lines. And this was with a heavy USA passenger count.

 

Since my wife is Sapphire, (I'm one cruise behind her in the count, I made Sapphire on this cruise) we used her card to check into anything.  With that few Sapphires on board, we did seem to get window seats in the MDR, better seats in specialty, and a little more attention from the bartenders.

 

You will get a wine tasting. (this one was stingier and more rushed than our previous ones) We passed on the ship tour, although it was probably done twice for those who got on in each port.

 

Tender priority worked well, although there was only 1 port (Cannes) and we waited awhile to have a sit down breakfast before leaving.

 

The good news was it took 3 or 4 days for all the newbies to figure out what Syd's was about and go to the show.  The first show, we walked in about 10 minutes before (not expecting much) and got OK seats.  The next show, 15 minutes before, and even better seats.

OK, for Rumors show, we got there 30 minutes before (late show) and still had great seats.

The last show (yes they had that many in 9 days), we had not so good seats 40 minutes before.

 

Choir of Man was as good as always, get there 30 minutes before and sit in the first 6 rows on the end.

Edited August 29 by Panhandle Couple

[LUTim]

On 8/28/2024 at 8:23 PM, MSUjohn said:

"conceirge services"

am i the only person that does not care about this?

is it some sort of pseudo-class signifier or something?

 

It's certainly not a  pseudo-class signifier, it's purely because we booked this cruise last minute, and I was having problems with dinner reservations. I was hoping to use the concierge to book some restaurants that are showing as booked online. 

 

Something that I find strange as I'm only trying to book a table for 2, it won't let me do this but will let me book a table for 8

 

I guess I'll have to get on early and book then, I think the Viva has a table set up for this in night club / theater

[KeithJenner]

13 minutes ago, LUTim said:

 

It's certainly not a  pseudo-class signifier, it's purely because we booked this cruise last minute, and I was having problems with dinner reservations. I was hoping to use the concierge to book some restaurants that are showing as booked online. 

 

Something that I find strange as I'm only trying to book a table for 2, it won't let me do this but will let me book a table for 8

 

I guess I'll have to get on early and book then, I think the Viva has a table set up for this in night club / theater

Yes, head to the Theatre. That is where it was on the Viva in April,

 

You should be fine getting reservations on embarkation day, especially if you board fairly early. At that point the concierge is just someone to pass your request on. It’s easier to just do it yourself (in my opinion).

[LUTim]

22 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

Yes, head to the Theatre. That is where it was on the Viva in April,

 

You should be fine getting reservations on embarkation day, especially if you board fairly early. At that point the concierge is just someone to pass your request on. It’s easier to just do it yourself (in my opinion).

Thanks Keith

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 8/28/2024 at 12:23 PM, MSUjohn said:

"conceirge services"

am i the only person that does not care about this?

is it some sort of pseudo-class signifier or something?

I can neither spell that or pronounce that.  I do have a question.  Is the "conceirge" only one person?  It's sounds like "he" does great things for passengers 24/7.  Does he sleep?

[complawyer]

chief, the concierge is like santa, he has an assortment of helpers, but unlike a butler, he isnt on call 24/7. 

if you require anything in the evening, he's usually outside the theater directing his people to their reserved seats. granted, these seats suck, and you can probably find better ones on your own, but he/she is there if needed.

 

by the way repeat after me- con- si-urge. im still looking forward to having a beer with you one day.

 

while you may never avail yourself, or need his services, believe me they do come in handy for some things

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 minutes ago, complawyer said:

by the way repeat after me- con- si-urge. im still looking forward to having a beer with you one day.

Thanks, but I'll still likely screw it up.  Not from stupidity (that's my story and I'm sticking with it), but from apathy.

9 minutes ago, complawyer said:

while you may never avail yourself, or need his services, believe me they do come in handy for some things

Sounds like a lot of work.  If I can't just get it from my bartender or cabin steward, I likely don't need it to enjoy my cruise.  I'm a simple rat. 🐀

[complawyer]

well, remember, you like to lounge around with a leisurely breakfast until they physically kick  you off the ship.

i want to get off ASAP. Also, as we usually spend a few days before and after the cruise in the port city, he arranges a cab or shuttle to take us to the airport.

 

finally, he has the ability to get us into the specialty restaurants, if they are booked out. last april, we had a transatlantic rio to lisbon for 17days. we got 3 dinners for the length of the cruise, 2 as diamond, which left us 12 more nights. we bought an additional 5 nights. on the very 1st day out, he came down to the cabin with a list and all we had to do was fill out which restaurants we wanted and which days, and voila we were in.

 

after all our respective posts, i realize yo are considerably more adventurous and laid back then i am.

the concierge makes our trip so much easier to handle

[sjacobs11]

On 8/27/2024 at 10:25 AM, LUTim said:

Hi All,

Been on the Viva before, but this time we (Me and the Mrs) will be Platinum, and not sure how it works.

1) How do we book our complimentary meal?

2) Where is the Concierge, how does it work, and where do we find them?

3) How does priority tendering work

4) how do we pre book entertainment

5) What is the wines around the world tasting work and what exactly is it

6) Anything else we should know

 

TIA

 

On Viva, there's also a Concierge in Cagney's for non-Haven Suite guests. I'd go to that desk in the morning when breakfast is being served to try to get help.