Current concierges?

[dramaqueen4lyfe]

Here's an interesting tidbit that I got from a Concierge who shall remain nameless, for obvious reasons. Effective this month, they've had they're base salaries cut in half, and will be relying more heavily on tips for their income. Apparently guests who are CL eligible will have a spot on their gratuities forms to include the Concierge.

 

I'm really saddened to see this development because I think it will hurt even the best Concierges, especially on ships where there's an overflow lounge or where D/D+ guests are banned from the lounge to prevent overcrowding (for example on a members' cruise, which happened to many on Radiance last year). We don't use the Concierge's services much, but have always left at least a token gratuity for the Concierge and any barstaff who may be helping out during the cocktail hour. I can see the best of the fleet leaving for greener pastures, and can't say that I would blame them one bit.:(

 

Jean, say it ain't so. I do not want to be responsible for their salaries especially since some are better than others and deserve everything we give them in grateful thanks for attentive service not because we have to pay them.

[alwzcrzn]

Does anyone know who the current Concierge is on the Voyager? Is it still Martin Sanchez? Thanks for the info.

[negc]

Let's not panic before we have official confirmation of this supposed change in the tipping guidelines. Cruise ships are hotbeds of unsubstantiated rumors and more than once supposed "knowledgeable sources" have proven to be wrong.

I have no doubt that what Jean has reported is what she was told, but we have all been told things onboard that turned out to be wild speculation on the part of individuals with overactive imaginations.:rolleyes:

To some extent, it might help those who are never totally certain as to whether the amount they are tipping the concierge is too generous or too stingy.:)

[critterchick]

I won't be on a ship with a CL for the rest of the year, so I'll be fascinated to see what evolves. I hope that the person who told me this is wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if s/he was spot on.

[Lynnees]

I won't be on a ship with a CL for the rest of the year, so I'll be fascinated to see what evolves. I hope that the person who told me this is wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if s/he was spot on.

 

 

Well, I'll be on the Brilliance in about 4 weeks so if no one has posted before then I certainly will.

[SherriZ366]

Juan Diego was on vacation and was supposed to return to Freedom soon.

Oh, well anyone who has Carmeliza as a concierge would also like her. Wonder if she and Juan Diego alternate. She was up in the lounge for longer than stated in the morning which was great for having someone handle problems.

[JaneStarr]

Totally agree! I also felt that Katherine V from Brilliance was on that path when we sailed with her.

 

I am *not* happy about the compensation change. We already tip our concierge generously based on their excellent performance. I would resent being responsible for their salaries (since this is supposed to be a perc).

 

Jane

I forgot to update you on Jewel OTS info:

As for the concierges on the Jewel- Robert was Andrea's replacement last vacation.

She will have a new one this vacation (right after the transatlantic crossing in early April).

Teodore is the barman upstairs (Like Veronika was on Feb 3 sailing), NOT the concierge.

 

Here's the list updated for Jewel:

The March 2008 list:

 

Adventure of the Seas - Duygu Tanel (DeDe)

Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela

Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth

Explorer of the Seas - Ricky

Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux

Freedom of the Seas (Diamond) - Juan Diego Miranda-Allen

Independence of the Seas (Concierge) -

Independence of the Seas (Diamond) -

Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt(vac. after 4/08 crossing)/Replacement not yet announced

Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi

Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu

Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock

Mariner of the Seas - Fernando

Navigator of the Seas – Carlos / Julian

Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya

Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman/Rahul Barua vacation cover

Splendour of the Seas - Kenneth Boodoo

Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez (vacation 1/27)/Gershwin Bronswinkel

[cruisnpat]

OK when do we start tipping the Captain??????:D :D

[cruisinsince99]

AD Adventure of the Seas- Duygu Tanel (DeDe)

BR Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela

-- Empress of the Seas (EM) - none

EN Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth

EX Explorer of the Seas- Ricky

FR Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux

FR Freedom of the Seas (Diamond)- Juan Diego Miranda-Allen/Carmeliza Colina [Diamond Club Waiter, Melvin Gomez]

GR Grandeur of the Seas - none

ID Independence of the Seas (Concierge) -

ID Independence of the Seas (Diamond) -

JW Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt (bar man Teodore}

LG Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi

LB Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu

LB Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock

-- Majesty of the Seas (MJ) - none

MA Mariner of the Seas- Fernando/Mitzi

-- Monarch of the Seas (MN) - none

NV Navigator of the Seas– Carlos / Julian

RD Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya

-- Rhapsody of the Seas (RH) - none

SR Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman / Rahul Barua

-- Sovereign of the Seas (SS) - none

SP Splendour of the Seas – Giovanna/Kenneth Boodoo(leaving RCI)

-- Vision of the Seas (VI) - none

VY Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez / Gershwin Bronswinkel

[cruisinsince99]

OK when do we start tipping the Captain??????:D :D

:eek:

Can you imagine if they even TOUCHED their salary???

[autoguy]

AD Adventure of the Seas- Duygu Tanel (DeDe)

BR Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela

-- Empress of the Seas (EM) - none

EN Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth Boodoo

EX Explorer of the Seas- Ricky

FR Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux

FR Freedom of the Seas (Diamond)- Juan Diego Miranda-Allen/Carmeliza Colina [Diamond Club Waiter, Melvin Gomez]

GR Grandeur of the Seas - none

ID Independence of the Seas (Concierge) -

ID Independence of the Seas (Diamond) -

JW Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt (bar man Teodore}

LG Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi

LB Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu

LB Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock

-- Majesty of the Seas (MJ) - none

MA Mariner of the Seas- Fernando/Mitzi

-- Monarch of the Seas (MN) - none

NV Navigator of the Seas– Carlos / Julian

RD Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya

-- Rhapsody of the Seas (RH) - none

SR Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman / Rahul Barua

-- Sovereign of the Seas (SS) - none

SP Splendour of the Seas – Giovanna/Kenneth Boodoo(leaving RCI)

-- Vision of the Seas (VI) - none

VY Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez / Gershwin Bronswinkel

 

Kenneth Boodoo is not leaving RCI...he is the current concierge on the Enchantment until March 27th when Julian comes back and then he will be moving to the Navigator on March 29th.

[dayrate]

I forgot to update you on Jewel OTS info:

As for the concierges on the Jewel- Robert was Andrea's replacement last vacation.

She will have a new one this vacation (right after the transatlantic crossing in early April).

Teodore is the barman upstairs (Like Veronika was on Feb 3 sailing), NOT the concierge.

 

Here's the list updated for Jewel:

The March 2008 list:

 

Adventure of the Seas - Duygu Tanel (DeDe)

Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela

Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth

Explorer of the Seas - Ricky

Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux

Freedom of the Seas (Diamond) - Juan Diego Miranda-Allen

Independence of the Seas (Concierge) -

Independence of the Seas (Diamond) -

Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt(vac. after 4/08 crossing)/Replacement not yet announced

Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi

Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu

Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock

Mariner of the Seas - Fernando

Navigator of the Seas – Carlos / Julian

Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya

Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman/Rahul Barua vacation cover

Splendour of the Seas - Kenneth Boodoo

Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez (vacation 1/27)/Gershwin Bronswinkel

 

"Replacement" for Andrea is announced.

[JaneStarr]

"Replacement" for Andrea is announced.

 

Who's it gonna be? :)

Jane

[dayrate]

Who's it gonna be? :)

Jane

 

 

Hasn´t Andrea told you?

[Hypo]

Does anyone know who the current Concierge is on the Voyager? Is it still Martin Sanchez? Thanks for the info.

 

We had Gershwin Bronswinkel on the Voyager last week. He is leaving Voyager by the end of the month to be assigned to the startup crew as concierge on the Independence. I don't know who will replace him.

 

Hypo

[negc]

I won't be on a ship with a CL for the rest of the year, so I'll be fascinated to see what evolves. I hope that the person who told me this is wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if s/he was spot on.

I think your assessment is correct, Jean. I have now confirmed this news with another source, one who is also extremely reliable. Don't think it matters that much to those of us who normally tip the concierge for his or her efforts, and perhaps making it clearer that the concierge position is deserving of a tip, may make up somewhat for the loss of salary. Cutting their salaries in half does seem a bit extreme however and I can imagine that most concierges are more than a bit concerned about the impact this will have on their income. It will be interesting to see if the guidelines suggest a tip rate or put it in the category of the amount being "at your discretion". :rolleyes: It would be a shame if this change leads some of the better concierges to decide that their best interests are served by taking another position onboard the ship or elsewhere in the hospitality industry:(.

[Toronto Maple Leaf Fan]

We just got of the AOS with DeDe as our concierge on Sunday March 9th. She was her usual amazing self!!!

 

We were indeed given a CONCIERGE ENVELOPE in our room along with the other tipping envelopes. There was no tipping guideline however on the 'tipping guideline sheet'. We just put $$ in the envelope with a note and gave it to DeDe.

 

De De is going on holidays starting March 16th.

 

Kim

[cruisinsince99]

AD Adventure of the Seas - Duygu Tanel (DeDe) [on holiday starting 16MAR2008]

BR Brilliance of the Seas - Katherine Valenzuela

-- Empress of the Seas (EM) - none

EN Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth

EX Explorer of the Seas - Ricky

FR Freedom of the Seas (Concierge) - François Roux

FR Freedom of the Seas (Diamond) - Juan Diego Miranda-Allen/Carmeliza Colina [Diamond Club Waiter, Melvin Gomez]

-- Grandeur of the Seas - none

ID Independence of the Seas (Concierge) - Gershwin Bronswinkel

ID Independence of the Seas (Diamond) -

JW Jewel of the Seas - Andrea Levitt (bar man Teodore}

LG Legend of the Seas - Diego Tripaldi

LB Liberty of the Seas (Concierge) - Pretty Shamu

LB Liberty of the Seas (Diamond) - Ricardo Mock

-- Majesty of the Seas (MJ) - none

MA Mariner of the Seas - Fernando/Mitzi

-- Monarch of the Seas (MN) - none

NV Navigator of the Seas – Carlos / Julian (29MAR2009 Kenneth Boodoo)

RD Radiance of the Seas - Willie Salaya

-- Rhapsody of the Seas (RH) - none

SR Serenade of the Seas - Maritza Moolman / Rahul Barua

-- Sovereign of the Seas (SS) - none

SP Splendour of the Seas – Giovanna/Kenneth Boodoo(leaving RCI)

-- Vision of the Seas (VI) - none

VY Voyager of the Seas - Martin Sanchez / Gershwin Bronswinkel<-[until ID sails]

[SherriZ366]

For Mariner cruises, I thought I saw that Mitzi may be doing something else rather than being Concierge. Lots of negative comments on Comment Cards about her. Please let me know.

[RevSmith]

EN Enchantment of the Seas - Julian Querico/Carlos/Kenneth

<-[until ID sails]

Hi there cruisinsince 99...why are their three concierges on Enchantment...I am going this April..do you how I find out who it will be...I like both Carlos and Julian....don't know Kenneth.

[Libby7]

Ken is filling in for Julian who is on vacation - he'll move on to another ship at the end of March. Carlos has returned to his full time job in Guest Services, so will not be in the Conceirge lounge in the future. You should probably take his name of the list.

[StaySea]

I changed the concierge for Liberty back to the correct one. Ricardo is leaving RCI, getting married and Pretty Shamu (that's her real name!) is taking his place. I was just on the Liberty last week and Pretty is now in charge as of this week.

 

 

Thanx for this info..

 

anyone out there have any interactions with Pretty:p (just sounds funny!!!) TIA

[RevSmith]

Ken is filling in for Julian who is on vacation - he'll move on to another ship at the end of March. Carlos has returned to his full time job in Guest Services, so will not be in the Conceirge lounge in the future. You should probably take his name of the list.

Where is Julian going???...I never got to see his special show...we are going on the Enchantment in April of 08 and were really looking forward to seeing him...

do you know who will repace him...

sorry it is not Carlos...he was very nice and very helpful.

[MBeamTX]

Maritza should teach a course in how to be a Concierge. She is the BEST (ship or no ship). Sailed with her twice and not once have I witnessed her ignoring a customer or losing her cool. As a matter of fact she cares about all her customers so much that on our 1/26/08 sailing she knew the CL would not be big enough for all her guests and didn't want to slight anyone so she booked the Vortex lounge for the evening service. She met with and talked with every person in that lounge every evening without fail. Again, the BEST!!!!

 

We absolutely agree - Maritza is wonderful. We've sailed Serenade three times now and there is no way I could get my Dad on a different RCI ship. I just hope that she will not be on vacation when we sail this fall on the Canal transit. If I recall correctly, she was going on leave after the Hawaii sailings last year, just before the Canal sailing. Does anyone know if Maritza will be on board Serenade in late October/early November?

 

Thanks,

Susan

[I LOVE SUITES]

Hi,

 

ID Independence of the Seas (Concierge) - Gershwin Bronswinkel

 

Has anyone had gershwin as their concierge? if so what was he like? Was he organised?

 

thanks

:)