Your favorite Maitre 'D and why? What makes them worth a tip??

[nothomeonacruise]

Thanks for the info! Time to look at booking the Glory then! ;) Unless he's on the Triumph next month which would be great..Don't remember much about the maitre'd on the Triumph last year except for the fact that he seemed very distracted and didn't connect very well...Mr. V would be a nice surprise. Thanks again!

 

We were on the Triumph in Nov last year, too. I think his name was Constantine. I agree that he wasn't that attentive. He did let us switch tables, so we tipped him. But, he wouldn't be my favorite.

[drdaddy]

Interesting thread. It reminds of a similar one about the CD's. I guess it only makes a diference to someone IF they need the services of the Maitre D'.

 

That being said, I have not noticed any posts from someone who has mentioned any MD from Valor. That could mean that the MD just does his job well without being intrusive or no one has needed the MD? (I don't think so).

 

We REALLY want make sure we get a 2-top for of 10/26 trip.

 

Who IS the MD for Valor and has anyone had any good or bad experiences recently?

[KelliKevin]

Yusef is good, entertaining and accomodating. Never has a problem.

 

However, this will come to a SHOCK but the best service I have received was from Constatine onboad the Triumph

It was before we were platinum and I always figured the rich or platinum got the best service. Well, Constatine proved that wasn't true.

I think the best thing was he NEVER interupted dinner with stupid announcements. He waited until dessert was almost finished. He wasn't obnoxius about the color game thing (which I do not care for). He had a dry sense of humor but told us a joke every night. He came to our table everynight and asked about our meal and our service

He switched our dining three times! We had tried late seating but couldn't handle the wait. We were starving cause here at home we eat at 5:45

I asked when my favorite dessert Tiramisu was going to be served. Ended up being sick that night but the next night he had it delivered with the dessert I ordered, without even being asked.

The staff doesn't care for him. They say he isn't as well schooled as other Carnival MD....and that he is stiff and very strict.

I enjoyed him...he actually cared!

[nothomeonacruise]

Yusef is good, entertaining and accomodating. Never has a problem.

 

However, this will come to a SHOCK but the best service I have received was from Constatine onboad the Triumph

It was before we were platinum and I always figured the rich or platinum got the best service. Well, Constatine proved that wasn't true.

I think the best thing was he NEVER interupted dinner with stupid announcements. He waited until dessert was almost finished. He wasn't obnoxius about the color game thing (which I do not care for). He had a dry sense of humor but told us a joke every night. He came to our table everynight and asked about our meal and our service

He switched our dining three times! We had tried late seating but couldn't handle the wait. We were starving cause here at home we eat at 5:45

I asked when my favorite dessert Tiramisu was going to be served. Ended up being sick that night but the next night he had it delivered with the dessert I ordered, without even being asked.

The staff doesn't care for him. They say he isn't as well schooled as other Carnival MD....and that he is stiff and very strict.

I enjoyed him...he actually cared!

 

We must have had him during an off time. He did pay attention to a few tables.

[no1uno]

Just returned from a sailing on Glory. Joseph was our Maitre'd. What can I say? He was definitely memorable. My wife and I still look at each other and say, "It's showtime". I did get a little freaked out when he wore the pirate outfit with the light-up glasses during that evening's song.

 

However, even though Joseph was memorable, George the Greek is unforgettable. We've been lucky enough to sail with him twice. He is a pleasure. There is a reason he's the most senior maitre'd at Carnival. I believe he's been with Carnival over 20 years. Oompah!

[ddoc]

He was wonderful-got our tables changed from 2 to a table for 10. Also,

on the night before my birthday (went to speciality dining on my birthday) he sent the waiters to sing. He stopped by to visit us every night and was totally charming. Our friends went the next week and he had the chefs make creme brule for dessert each night!

[kicia]

Our vote for best Maitre D' is definitely Ken Byrne who is currently on the Splendor as Carnival's Senior Maitre D'. We also got to talk with him every night and his Sinatra renditions are tremendous.

 

We've had other Maitre D's that were very good - George the Greek, Omur, Rafal, to name a few and we just had Mr. V last week on the Glory. This is his last cruise before a 2 month vacation. We always seem to have some little request and have always had good results so we do tip the Maitre D's.

[jspirit]

Yup- another vote for Ken! He made our Splendor dining experience extra special. Handled everything in the dining room without ever looking flustered. Beautiful voice! Kind and sweet personality.

Hope we will have the pleasure of sailing with Ken again!

Yay Ken!

[GoPennState]

Our good friend is a Maitre D on the Freedom. :o It amazes me that many guests don't think Maitre 'Ds deserve a tip.

 

They are paid a salary but very little for the 14 to 16 hour days they put in to make sure all food operations run smoothly........What do you think it takes for a Maitre 'D to deserve a tip??;)

 

A Maitre D is the restaurant manager. Their job is to oversee the entire operation of their department, which includes talking to Guests, handling complaints, and keeping their staff happy. I was a F&B Manager with Walt Disney World for 13 Great years, working long hours, and never expected a tip. I received a salary to perform my job. My service TEAM worked for tips/grats. I took pleasure in making every one of our Guests' experiences ones they will never forget. If my TEAM made good money b/c they were exceptional, and were happy,then I took pride knowing I did my job! Also, before the complaints start coming in, one of my best friends was a Maitre D, and his salary was quite a bit more than mine.....just fyi.

[Noire]

I guess I am in the minority. I can't remember any Maitre 'D from any of my cruises, nor any of the cruise directors.

[ShedQueen77]

Unless there is an exceptional reason to do so (a table change, etc...), I don't tip them at all. Our last experience with Franc on the Destiny left a really bad taste in my mouth. I didn't even know who he WAS until the last night when he smoozed up to get his envelope, which he did NOT get. I don't give tips to those who blatantly seek them.