Identity of Cruise Director, Concierge, etc.

[GORDONCHICK]

The Hotel Director on the Pearl is Denis Prguda. You will find him to be absolutely charming and incredibly adept at his job.

 

PE

 

But will he be there in a year??? And is he as charming as Sean? Probably not as tall, which has nothing to do with anything.......

[marilynd]

Hello Lin, (watchdiva) I remember you from a previous cruise in April on the Pearl. You also were in a Courtyard Suite also. I see you don't post to the roll call. My DH and I are also on this cruise in the Courtyard again. Are you up there with us?

 

I really haven't posted a lot. It is such a large group of CC people on this cruise.

 

 

I have never had Erika as a Concierge, I have had Karan as a Butler on a previous cruise.

 

Look forward to a great cruise with you and PE.

 

 

Marilyn

[Planer's Edge]

But will he be there in a year??? And is he as charming as Sean? Probably not as tall, which has nothing to do with anything.......

 

I don't know Sean but Denis is about 6' 4".

 

PE

[GORDONCHICK]

I don't know Sean but Denis is about 6' 4".

 

PE

 

Pretty close' date=' but I think Sean is about 6'6":

[img']http://images.photo2.walgreens.com/232323232%7Ffp53243%3Enu%3D3264%3E588%3E939%3EWSNRCG%3D323436366%3B847nu0mrj[/img]

[watchdiva]

Hello Lin, (watchdiva) I remember you from a previous cruise in April on the Pearl. You also were in a Courtyard Suite also. I see you don't post to the roll call. My DH and I are also on this cruise in the Courtyard again. Are you up there with us?

 

I really haven't posted a lot. It is such a large group of CC people on this cruise. I have never had Erika as a Concierge, I have had Karan as a Butler on a previous cruise.

 

Look forward to a great cruise with you and PE. Marilyn

 

Hi Marilyn - It's great to hear from you. I originally posted on the roll call and then opted out. We're up there again in an A4 with you and your DH so I'm sure we'll be running into you. PE, his wife, my DH and I will be meeting at the SkyHigh Bar at sailaway and we've love to see you there as well!

 

PE - I had a senior moment - DH and I will meet you at the SkyHigh Bar between 3:30-3:45 NOT 4:30 as originally e-mailed!

 

Glad to hear that you had great experiences with Karan and I'm sure this cruise will be no different.

[watchdiva]

I just got an email from Karan and he will indeed be joining the Pearl. The exchange will take place next Sunday for our cruise. To think' date=' I almost did not click on this thread.

 

PE<---is going to be one happy cruiser...[/quote']

WOO HOO - sounds like we're going to have a great time PE!

[Planer's Edge]

Pretty close, but I think Sean is about 6'6":

 

Thanks for the pic. Now I remember Sean. He was one of Klaus's right hand men on the Jewel when it first came out. I think you will find Denis to be of equal charm to Sean, and yes not quite as tall.

 

PE

[Planer's Edge]

Hi Marilyn - It's great to hear from you. I originally posted on the roll call and then opted out. We're up there again in an A4 with you and your DH so I'm sure we'll be running into you. PE, his wife, my DH and I will be meeting at the SkyHigh Bar at sailaway and we've love to see you there as well!

 

PE - I had a senior moment - DH and I will meet you at the SkyHigh Bar between 3:30-3:45 NOT 4:30 as originally e-mailed!

 

Glad to hear that you had great experiences with Karan and I'm sure this cruise will be no different.

 

Not to correct (because that is how the roll call turned into such a mess) but I think you mean Bali Hai Bar & Grill. And, yes we aill be there at 3:30.

 

PE

[Planer's Edge]

WOO HOO - sounds like we're going to have a great time PE!

 

Don't you know it.

 

PE

[Ericktina]

Pretty close, but I think Sean is about 6'6":

Anyone know where Sean is?? On leave??

[BikerAl]

Oh, no!! We are sailing the Pearl in September, through the Canal, and I am heartsick! Dh and I were on the Sun a year ago, and loved her. We were so looking forward to seeing her again. Will her husband be onboard also? The Spirit is lucky, HD Sean appears to be on it now, too. Oh well, you can't win them all!

 

Helen

 

Helen, don't be distressed, Karan is the epitome of gentleman, and as a butler, was beyond efficient. The reports from the Spirit have been totally positive. I am sure you will be raving him, should you have the pleasure of sailing with him. I just wrote Lin, telling her how jealous we are.

 

Al

[Tomct]

Anyone know where Sean is?? On leave??

 

 

Sean is indeed on leave, and due back at the end of May. We're disappointed we will miss him on May 1st, but I'm sure Frank H. who we have sailed with before will be just fine!!

[NoPiratesPlease]

Bill, don't worry, Tony will be on May 31st still!:cool:

 

No Pirates, I'm glad you got a good one!!! Yup, at 10 months they are still "teenagers!" A friend of ours had a terv who would open the refrigerator and help himself! Our kids are now grown and I would find it difficult to keep either a Belgian shepard or terv busy enough anymore!

 

Well, you can give a really good dog a home in his or her declining years by adopting through the breed rescue league. We adopted a 7 year old who gave us a the wonderful 6 1/2 last years of her life. From the moment she left the shelter and jumped in my truck, kissed MsEscada, bopped me in the cheek with her nose, settled down in the back seat and was ours till the day she died. Then we adopted a 5 year old who was with us for 8 1/2 years and died quietly in her sleep by our bed. They were older and calmer and not the teenage scamps the younger ones are. You'll never be sorry! They still like to play and run but they also like their quiet time. And no dog (or cat) is as loyal as a grown one you rescue.

[Laoghaire]

Hello..Thanks to perrys, Carmen and Biker Al for the heads up on Karan, Concierge (hopefully) on the Pearl for September 20th. Will be sure to mention your names!! As for Sean W, HD--I asked him how an Austrian got an Irish first name. He said he is half Irish and half Austrian ( or Swiss or whatever). A great guy, I sat next to him at the Captain's Table.

 

Helen

[GORDONCHICK]

Hello..Thanks to perrys, Carmen and Biker Al for the heads up on Karan, Concierge (hopefully) on the Pearl for September 20th. Will be sure to mention your names!! As for Sean W, HD--I asked him how an Austrian got an Irish first name. He said he is half Irish and half Austrian ( or Swiss or whatever). A great guy, I sat next to him at the Captain's Table.

 

Helen

 

He is Austrian.

[GORDONCHICK]

He is Austrian.

 

I meant that instead of the Swiss reference. He is also part Irish.

[Tomct]

Sean's replacement on the Spirit is Frank Hasenwinkel, who was our HD on the Majesty in June, 2005. Following is an excerpt from the review I prepared following our cruise:

 

The Hotel Director was the key to taking our cruise “over the top”, and we are very thankful for your support and friendship. Frank Hasenwinkel is right there with the best we have seen, including Klaus (Lugmair) and Armando (DaSilva). You always seem to exceed our expectations, which are now getting higher and higher.

 

Needless to say we were pleased with our cruise and our Hotel Director.

[suz1607]

I can't remember who the Hotel Director is but Karan is the Concierge. His contract was extended involuntarily but he didn't mind. He's also staying on the Spirit for another contract.

 

Karan is wonderful! I know you will be well taken care of!

[maggiecatenjay]

Sean's replacement on the Spirit is Frank Hasenwinkel, who was our HD on the Majesty in June, 2005. Following is an excerpt from the review I prepared following our cruise:

 

The Hotel Director was the key to taking our cruise “over the top”, and we are very thankful for your support and friendship. Frank Hasenwinkel is right there with the best we have seen, including Klaus (Lugmair) and Armando (DaSilva). You always seem to exceed our expectations, which are now getting higher and higher.

 

Needless to say we were pleased with our cruise and our Hotel Director.

 

Tom, did you have this at review your fingertips or did you have to dig? You LOVE this guy! He must be specacular!

Clare

[Tomct]

Tom, did you have this at review your fingertips or did you have to dig? You LOVE this guy! He must be specacular!

Clare

 

I knew where my review document was stored, but wasn't sure what I had to say about Frank. It was the only time we sailed with him, and the first time we were invited to a special dinner. This one was great, as I think there were four couples, the Captain, Hotel Director and a couple of other staff members. The ship's head chef also stopped by to describe the dinner It was great!!

 

We've been fortunate to have shared some great moments with each of these guys, though Klaus is the cream of the crop. I'm not exactly sure what his assignment is these days, but last January they put him in charge of all the HD's, and last I knew he was making stops on all the ships as they rolled out FreeStyle 2.0 throughout the fleet. He was our HD at least three times, and I believe he sets the standard for NCL. Actually our first HD on the Norwegian Star was also a legend here on CruiseCritic, James Deering, though we didn't know that until after the cruise. We had no contact with him onboard, but after the cruise he read something I had posted here, and wanted more information. We had no Meet and Greet. The ship was still new, and they were getting some criticism, so he wanted to hear my perspective, which was a very postive one. Basically we've been blown away on each cruise, and it is true that we continue to raise the bar on our epectations, yet we return home each time saying they outdid themselves, again!

[camper06]

Recent GEM Cruise

 

CD - Andrea Olivieri (Ciao, Ciao !!)

 

HD - Prem Kainikkara

 

Capt - Frank Juliussen

[watchdiva]

TomCT - We also had the pleasure of sailing with the legendary James Deering on the Dawn in '03. We met him at our M&G, we ran into a slight problem while onboard and we called him. Not only did he quickly resolve the problem but when I asked for his help in organizing a special dinner ensuite for our anniversary he worked with me on the menu (all of my DH's favorite things) and pulling the details together and the rest is part of our family history now (private ensuite dinner with Sean W there, James D there, 3 servers from Cagney's, butler, etc) and is the most over-the-top cruise experience in over 20 years!

 

We then met him again on HAL and it was like seeing an old friend.

 

I will say that the current group of HDs are cut from much the same mold as Mr. Deering and every time exceed our expectations. Just when we think it won't get any better - our cruises always seem to get better and better.

 

We were thrilled when I read the Sean was an HD now (last we saw him was on the Pearl '07) and hope to cruise with him and Michel again one of these days.

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread:o......

[Tomct]

Watchdiva:

 

No hijacking here, as that's what this thread is all about.

 

I think it's great that others get to read some of the special things that high caliber staff do for people, and also agree with you about the other HD's.

 

Klaus has certainly been one that has impacted our bookings, but when he isn't there, we seem to recognize many of the same traits with the HD. They never cease to amaze me, and it was Mr. Deering that tipped me off about Klaus, as they seemed to have a mutual admiration thing going between them. On our Gem cruise in January '09, Klaus and the Captain, Mike Hilden, stationed themselves in the same spot of the Garden Cafe each morning during breakfast, observing what was going on, having coffee, and mingling with the passengers. On the morning after Klaus had left the ship due to his promotion, I had the opportunity to chat with the Captain. I said something like "you're taking Klaus' spot", and he said it was his, too. He talked about how following this board was important it them, and when I mentioned how much attention Klaus paid to it, he firmly stated how they all do.

 

The last I heard of James Deering was that he was with Princess. I sure wish he had stayed with NCL, but he got "bagged" by the whole mess with the US flagged ships.

[AdoptAtty]

Anyone know who will fill in for Simone on the Star... sailing in 3 weeks :D

[brunolvr]

Anyone know who will fill in for Simone on the Star... sailing in 3 weeks :D

 

Hi, AdoptAtty! I contacted the Star's Group Event Coordinator (Jennifer) to set up a Meet & Greet for our cruise on May 30th. I asked her if she knew who was taking Simone's place and she indicated to me it would be

"Belkys Laos Sanchez". Has anyone heard of her or him???