Concierge First-Timer - Weirdly Specific Questions

[Doofenshmirtz513]

Interesting. We never saw such people in the lounge.

I don't know about the kids club people (we always did that at the check-in desk), but someone from Senses (in spa uniform) has been in the lounge for each of our cruises going back to 2013. They're working hard to fill up all the empty treatment slots.

 

[DCLDVC1]

There's also a Palo/Remy CM in the lounge on embarkation day.

 

[2_Eagle_Mom]

Thanks for posting these questions. We also upgraded from a cancelled April cruise to a concierge cabin and I had some of the same questions.

One question that I've looked for but haven't seen mentioned is "Do we need to plan on any extra gratuities for any concierge staff"? I just want to be prepared.

Thanks!
Jane

 

[TestingH2O]

Thanks for posting these questions. We also upgraded from a cancelled April cruise to a concierge cabin and I had some of the same questions.

One question that I've looked for but haven't seen mentioned is "Do we need to plan on any extra gratuities for any concierge staff"? I just want to be prepared.

Thanks!
Jane

Yes, you’ll be given tip envelopes for the hosts. There is no standard amount for these folks, and if you ask here, you will find wildly differing amounts that people leave.

 

[Southern Pirate]

I will not wake up at midnight 120 days out to send email request. If you use Outlook as your email program, you can compose your email and put everything in it you want. Then set it up to be sent out at midnight on your 120 day. Shore-side will get the email right at midnight and will either send you a conformation email or call you to confirm. Then sit back, relax and start enjoying your vacation. Don't forget about any special requests you might have.

 

[undertheradar]

Thanks for posting these questions. We also upgraded from a cancelled April cruise to a concierge cabin and I had some of the same questions.

One question that I've looked for but haven't seen mentioned is "Do we need to plan on any extra gratuities for any concierge staff"? I just want to be prepared.

Thanks!
Jane

We tip the lounge bartender, food servers, and kitchen assistants, in addition to the lounge hosts.

 

[Trera]

We tip the lounge bartender, food servers, and kitchen assistants, in addition to the lounge hosts.

This ^^^^^

 

[monkeydawn]

I wonder if I would be a weirdo to request table mates.

We prefer table mates too. It's always nice to see what others planned for/ did. Sharing and hearing about others days are usually one of the things we look forward to each day. We've luckily been mostly paired with people we gelled with.

 

[MomOTwins]

We prefer table mates too. It's always nice to see what others planned for/ did. Sharing and hearing about others days are usually one of the things we look forward to each day. We've luckily been mostly paired with people we gelled with.

Thanks! I guess I won't feel weird requesting it then.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I just thought of one more thing. You can request lounge chairs for your verandah since you have a bumpout.

 

[undertheradar]

I just thought of one more thing. You can request lounge chairs for your verandah since you have a bumpout.

Remember that this is a request and is subject to the approval from the Officer of the Deck.

 

[MomOTwins]

I just thought of one more thing. You can request lounge chairs for your verandah since you have a bumpout.

Remember that this is a request and is subject to the approval from the Officer of the Deck.

This is such a great idea! DH and I love spending time on the verandah watching the ocean, so loungers sound delightful. I just called concierge services to ask about it. They basically said the same thing as undertheradar: that they can put in the request but the ship safety officer ultimately will have to approve. He did strongly hint that it is normally not a problem for bump out rooms, though. One last note: he actually just went ahead and put in the request over the phone-he said it's not subject to the 125-day email rule so he could do it earlier.

I also asked about tablemates, and he said it is not the default but he can absolutely have us assigned tablemates with kids my kids' age (again, he could do it over the phone without having to wait for the 125-day email). He also explained that there are actually three dining features that are "default" for concierge: (1) private table; (2) the most experience server teams; and (3) the best locations in the MDRs. Thought that was interesting--so we don't have to request a "good" table after all!

I feel like I am starting to realize that concierge offers more of a value than I had initially come to believe. If you just look at the "official" concierge benefits, it is not that big of a list, but there are lots of intangibles in service that people have been describing here (e.g., getting ingredients for your favorite cocktail) that I do think are pretty special. I remember once telling DH that the only way we'd ever sail concierge is if we won the lottery and here we are. But it has been a crazy year with lots of unexpected results.

Our email is going out tonight. I am so excited! It looks like there are still a lot of concierge rooms available for booking (I know I know, because our cruise might not sail, but I really hope it does) so I am really really hoping for a cabana!

 

[monkeydawn]

Our email is going out tonight. I am so excited! It looks like there are still a lot of concierge rooms available for booking (I know I know, because our cruise might not sail, but I really hope it does) so I am really really hoping for a cabana!

I hope you get to sail and that's its trouble free. You are so excited and this would be really great for everyone if it's truly ok to sail then!

 

[DCLDVC1]

I feel like I am starting to realize that concierge offers more of a value than I had initially come to believe. If you just look at the "official" concierge benefits, it is not that big of a list, but there are lots of intangibles in service that people have been describing here (e.g., getting ingredients for your favorite cocktail) that I do think are pretty special. I remember once telling DH that the only way we'd ever sail concierge is if we won the lottery and here we are. But it has been a crazy year with lots of unexpected results.

Exactly. It will only get better once you're on the ship.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

He also explained that there are actually three dining features that are "default" for concierge: . . . (2) the most experience server teams;

That's an interesting one to hear. We went through some pretty rough server teams, even as concierge, before we found one we liked and have requested ever since.

 

[allashore]

That's an interesting one to hear. We went through some pretty rough server teams, even as concierge, before we found one we liked and have requested ever since.

Agree about servers, some are much better then others. Although we always request a rotation and not a server.
I don't think that we get the best table locations, maybe its subjective. example on the Fantasy, I think 1 out of 3 restaurants we get a great location in Royal Court What would be an ideal location in Enchanted Garden? the tables are packed together. At animators some would like to be close to crush, we want to be far away.
This past Oct, we were on the Magic non-concierge, had an awesome serving team, and thinking back the table locations were good too.

 

[MomOTwins]

Agree about servers, some are much better then others. Although we always request a rotation and not a server.
I don't think that we get the best table locations, maybe its subjective. example on the Fantasy, I think 1 out of 3 restaurants we get a great location in Royal Court What would be an ideal location in Enchanted Garden? the tables are packed together. At animators some would like to be close to crush, we want to be far away.
This past Oct, we were on the Magic non-concierge, had an awesome serving team, and thinking back the table locations were good too.

True, I guess server style and location are a bit subjective. Like we loved that our server on our last cruise was always chatting with us and doing jokes and games, but i know some people prefer a more subdued server.

 

[MomOTwins]

Hmm, slightly panicky because I sent in my email right at midnight eastern and didn't get an automated reply that I had seen others mention. I guess I will just keep fingers crossed an hope for the best.

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

Hmm, slightly panicky because I sent in my email right at midnight eastern and didn't get an automated reply that I had seen others mention. I guess I will just keep fingers crossed an hope for the best.

I didn't get an automated reply when I asked a question earlier this week. I wonder if they turned the system off because response times are slower right now?

 

[MomOTwins]

I didn't get an automated reply when I asked a question earlier this week. I wonder if they turned the system off because response times are slower right now?

Oh good, glad it is not just me!