Pre-Cruise Concierge for all suite guests

[Demonyte]

I have a quick question. We are sailing on POA in May of 2014 and I have heard that there are special menus for suite passengers to order meals from. Does anyone know where I might find these menus? I think it would be very convenient to order dinner to be served in our suite after a long day in port but I wasn't sure of the type or quality of these menus. This our first sailing with NCL and our first suite booking.

 

Only the room service breakfast menu is different between normal cabins and suites. (Suites get hot breakfast items and more options, normal cabins do not.)

 

Suite passengers can order food from any open restaurant on the ship from normal menus there (one can ask for all the menus to be brought to the suite by the butler, we always do nowadays).

[Nalagh]

Thanks for the answers ,

I think NCL should invest in this idea... back to RCC l go after this cruise...

:(

 

Do you have a Butler in the same suite type on RCC? What are the responsibilities of the Concierge? How much did you pay for these services and the overall size of your suite? Were you offered pre-sail concierge services?

[rvsullivan]

Hi all

Norwegian Sprirt 13th Nov 2013

 

Can anyone tell me if there is a concierge Lounge (bar) every night of the cruise, where they provide (free) drinks and nibbles and resevered sun chairs like RCC?

 

Thanks

 

So, are you saying that RCC has the same type of dedicated butlers and concierge that NCL does? I was under the impression that the only suite "perks" you received was what you mentioned? How about the "free" specialty dining meal, personal escorts, head of the line for embarkation, priority tenders etc????

[Demonyte]

So, are you saying that RCC has the same type of dedicated butlers and concierge that NCL does? I was under the impression that the only suite "perks" you received was what you mentioned? How about the "free" specialty dining meal, personal escorts, head of the line for embarkation, priority tenders etc????

 

Everybody will prioritize what perks they like best and what brings them value - free drinks can be attractive incentive for some. I wouldn't trade NCL's suite perks for RCCL's but that's just my opinion. :)

[johnsak123]

Do they really change your butler because you requested a different one.

I don't think so.

[Fishbait17]

Do they really change your butler because you requested a different one.

I don't think so.

 

I've seen it done twice..

 

Robin

[Nalagh]

Do they really change your butler because you requested a different one.

I don't think so.

 

Anyone can request a Butler they know will be on a specific sailing, but it is not a guarantee. It is at the discretion of the concierge and if they have advanced notice it is easy for them to work into the schedule. My request was in fact granted, but it was our 4th sailing with him.

[Fishbait17]

Ozboatman, the Haven is a private area with cushioned sun chairs, sun deck, snacks and other amenities for suite guests. You will also be invited to free cocktail hours. As far as I know the Sun doesn't have a Haven courtyard but it sounds like that's what you are looking for.

 

Keep in mind that the Haven is not available to all suite guests on all ships. Several ships have no Haven, several have a Haven available to only "Haven" suite guests (not all suites), and two (three when Getaway sets sail) have the Haven available to all suite guests.

 

Robin

[Fishbait17]

I have a quick question. We are sailing on POA in May of 2014 and I have heard that there are special menus for suite passengers to order meals from. Does anyone know where I might find these menus? I think it would be very convenient to order dinner to be served in our suite after a long day in port but I wasn't sure of the type or quality of these menus. This our first sailing with NCL and our first suite booking.

 

Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

The bottom line is that when sailing in a suite, you can basically get any food served on the ship at that particular time delivered to your suite. Some items may be excluded, for example Sushi isn't available by room service for most if not all ships - safety issues. Some meals will be at extra cost - for example, if you order a dinner from Le Bistro delivered to your suite, you will pay the cover charge that you would normally pay at the restaurant. For breakfast, you get an expanded menu, printed on a hang tag for the doorknob, but you aren't limited to what's on that menu - you can call in or write in whatever you want, like Eggs Benedict, etc.

 

As for quality, we have found that room service is not always as "hot and fresh" as if served in the restaurant - eggs might get a little cold, toast may be cold, etc - but that's always expected from any room service. The convenience of room service breakfast on a busy port morning far outweighs any minor quality issues for us, though. For dinner, it's just a matter of whether its worth it to sacrifice a little quality for convenience. For us, most of the time we are ready to go out and eat for dinner, but we have ordered room service a couple of times when we weren't feeling great (tired, etc) and it was a very nice option to have...

 

Robin

Edited October 7, 2013 by Fishbait17

[WatchHill]

We were in a Haven PH suite last week and had sushi and raw oysters delivered to the room after a fiasco at the a la carte dining venues which serve these items.

 

I find it more comfortable to be served in one of the restaurants than have any meals delivered to the cabin - and if there's a problem, it can be addressed immediately. With a room in the Haven area, access to breakfast is but a few steps away in their dining room. Personally, I do not like the bulky coffee machines and what they produce - French pressed in the dining room works for me. Wish they had K-cup units instead. A large coffee urn, juice and fruit infused water are set up daily in the court yard.

 

Ok - here's the Wasabi & Z's raw bar story....

 

One evening, not feeling very hungry, my GF & I decided we wanted a big salad and decided to venture out of the Haven and graze our way through the Garden Café. Our husbands on the other hand had something else in mind. One wanted sushi [at Wasabi] and the other wanted his raw oysters. So off we went in different directions. T ordered his sushi, then asked if he could take his plate over to join my DH who was sitting alone at the raw bar sipping a martini and waiting for his order of 6 oysters. T was told NO - this is not allowed by Zakarian! Wow! With that, he quickly ate what he later described as "fair" quality sushi and then joined my DH who was still working on his martini and waiting for the oysters...after asking 3 times for his order. We ladies finished our salads and joined the guys. Where were they oysters? 45 minutes, empty raw bar and no oysters!!! Finally, DH asked for the bill for the martini and told the staff he would neither eat at Z's place nor recommend it due to poor service and this silly, egotistical rule about separating sushi service from the raw bar even though the hostess sits between and services both venues. Post a notice of this policy, please. Well, Roxie, the hostess was not too happy with DH telling her he wanted to pay for the martini because he at least go that, but no oysters. The following day a tray of sushi and a plate of oysters were on the counter in our suite.

 

We at least laughed about what we thought was an absurd policy that is associated with Ocean Blue's Raw Bar. However, DH suggested that NCL get with it and do a real NYC oyster bar venture - $1. oysters for Happy Hour.

 

Darcy

[OZboatman]

Everybody will prioritize what perks they like best and what brings them value - free drinks can be attractive incentive for some. I wouldn't trade NCL's suite perks for RCCL's but that's just my opinion. :)

 

I'm having a hard time finding out the different "suite perks" between RCC and NCL..

Room service, eating in different rooms (breaky/Lunch) etc etc are all the same...

gessl will find out soon enough..

 

If someone can tell me the differences that would be fantastic :)

Oz boatman

[smrtypnts]

Keep in mind that the Haven is not available to all suite guests on all ships. Several ships have no Haven, several have a Haven available to only "Haven" suite guests (not all suites), and two (three when Getaway sets sail) have the Haven available to all suite guests.

 

Robin

Which ships have the Haven only available to Haven guests but not to other suite guests?

[Demonyte]

Which ships have the Haven only available to Haven guests but not to other suite guests?

 

Jewel class ships: Jewel, Pearl, Jade and Gem.

 

On Epic (and to my understanding both Breakaway and Getaway) all suites are Haven suites regardless of the location.

 

In short: If the suite has Haven in it's name on NCL's website, it comes with Haven access.

Edited October 12, 2013 by Demonyte

[Nalagh]

Which ships have the Haven only available to Haven guests but not to other suite guests?

 

Ships where all suites are Haven

Epic

Breakaway

Getaway

Bliss

Escape

 

Ship with Suites and Haven exclusive to Haven Suites S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5

Jewel

Jade

Pearl

Gem

 

Ships with suites but without a Haven

Sky

Dawn

Sun

Spirit

Star

Pride of America

[DrNora]

I'm having a hard time finding out the different "suite perks" between RCC and NCL..

Room service, eating in different rooms (breaky/Lunch) etc etc are all the same...

gessl will find out soon enough..

 

If someone can tell me the differences that would be fantastic :)

Oz boatman

 

Which NCL ship are you on, and where is the suite located??

 

 

Nora

 

 

You will be amazed at how much better the NCL suite perks are- from daily treats of your choice to the Haven area..they are many. When we went back to RCL because of school schedules we were pretty shocked at the difference in suite perks. We had gotten spoiled by the Haven ( formerly "Courtyard" area , the butler, etc. Happy to have Getaway coming our way!

[dquire]

Just got home from cruising on the Breakaway. Fantastic time. Stayed in a Haven Suite. I too ask to have all the things you requested- including the beer for my husband. Nothing was done. And nothing was done even after I asked when I got to our room and was disappointed. No problem- I certainly didn't let it ruin a fantastic time

[Nalagh]

Just got home from cruising on the Breakaway. Fantastic time. Stayed in a Haven Suite. I too ask to have all the things you requested- including the beer for my husband. Nothing was done. And nothing was done even after I asked when I got to our room and was disappointed. No problem- I certainly didn't let it ruin a fantastic time

 

Who was the concierge? He did not do his job, and neither did your Butler.

:(

[NLH Arizona]

Just got home from cruising on the Breakaway. Fantastic time. Stayed in a Haven Suite. I too ask to have all the things you requested- including the beer for my husband. Nothing was done. And nothing was done even after I asked when I got to our room and was disappointed. No problem- I certainly didn't let it ruin a fantastic time

Hopefully that is not the case on my cruise in 3 weeks. Hopefully your tip reflected the service you received.

[WatchHill]

There seems to be a breakdown in communication between the shore side concierge desk and the ship. I called and sent an email or two prior to our cruise on the BA requesting robes, pillows, coffee selection, dining reservations, snack choices, and entertainment.

 

The initial phone call to NCL pre-cruise concierge got me nowhere. So I sent an email which essentially acknowledged my requests, but told me to confirm once onboard. When I went into my booking, nothing was noted. So, I took care of the entertainment myself. Once in the Haven, I gave the concierge a copy of the email requests, but was told to come back later, she was busy. That was not what I wanted to hear. I returned an hour later and told her to take care of my requests and walked away - I think she finally got the message.

 

Needless to say, the pillow selection was finally done by our room stewardess; she also cleaned out the fridge by the third day, never got any snacks the first day - the butler said, "the cheese arrived late" on the ship! Of course, we didn't see him until 7:15 PM on the first day. Apparently there was a note somewhere in my booking about the restaurant reservations [we did not pre-pay] and we got the times we requested and used the Platinum perks coupons. We only got one robe. The bathroom scale's battery was dead - maybe a good thing. The bath room waste basked in the sink cabin fell off and needed repair. DH pointed out to the butler that the door to our suite was sticky & soiled with what looked like coffee with sugar and milk - it was like that when we left the ship.

 

Yes, life in the Haven is nice, but a bit over rated unless the staff catering to you have the time to do their jobs. We're not demanding, never requested in suite dining or even breakfast service. Once we had a small group in our suite and the butler brought quite a few items for our guests - we never asked for the selection. The access to the Haven restaurant is nice as is the pool area and outside sun deck on 17.

 

The Haven staff may have been over worked the week we were on because some TA owners and other cruise line execs were also in the Haven. Knowing this, NCL should had added an extra person or two to meet the added demands.

 

If in a Haven PH suite - remember you only get one bottle of water for the week. After that, it's $6.04 and there's nothing in writing to alert you to this in the room. We brought four bottles [same brand and size] onto the ship and were charged for 2 of our own. Also if you have an allergy to feathers - the comforter on the bed is down. So much for allergy pillows - they don't help when the puff is all feathers.

 

Darcy

Edited October 13, 2013 by WatchHill

[smrtypnts]

Jewel class ships: Jewel, Pearl, Jade and Gem.

 

On Epic (and to my understanding both Breakaway and Getaway) all suites are Haven suites regardless of the location.

 

In short: If the suite has Haven in it's name on NCL's website, it comes with Haven access.

Wow, I didn't know that. Plus you made me panic for a red hot minute....we're booked on Epic, so we're good.:D

[millerspapa]

we are inside 30 days now so are going to try to arrange a few items with the pre concierge office. I received the first email from Darius. Before I reply, I have a couple questions

1- can I arrange the bar set up with him

2- what types of daily snacks have others asked for instead of the canapés I am not sure of the types of things that are acceptable.

3- can the accurately tell me the name of the on ship concierge and our Butler

[Nalagh]

we are inside 30 days now so are going to try to arrange a few items with the pre concierge office. I received the first email from Darius. Before I reply, I have a couple questions

1- can I arrange the bar set up with him

2- what types of daily snacks have others asked for instead of the canapés I am not sure of the types of things that are acceptable.

3- can the accurately tell me the name of the on ship concierge and our Butler

 

I would call the concierge desk for the bar set up, but yes they do take care of it. As far as the snacks, you could ask for anything, however this is just a request and is subject to charges and availability. If you want pretzel rolls you will not be charged, but if you request shrimp it will come with a bill. They will be able to tell you the concierge on board, but you will not know your assigned butler until you board.

 

Hope this helps :)

[Nalagh]

There seems to be a breakdown in communication between the shore side concierge desk and the ship. I called and sent an email or two prior to our cruise on the BA requesting robes, pillows, coffee selection, dining reservations, snack choices, and entertainment.

 

The initial phone call to NCL pre-cruise concierge got me nowhere. So I sent an email which essentially acknowledged my requests, but told me to confirm once onboard. When I went into my booking, nothing was noted. So, I took care of the entertainment myself. Once in the Haven, I gave the concierge a copy of the email requests, but was told to come back later, she was busy. That was not what I wanted to hear. I returned an hour later and told her to take care of my requests and walked away - I think she finally got the message.

 

Needless to say, the pillow selection was finally done by our room stewardess; she also cleaned out the fridge by the third day, never got any snacks the first day - the butler said, "the cheese arrived late" on the ship! Of course, we didn't see him until 7:15 PM on the first day. Apparently there was a note somewhere in my booking about the restaurant reservations [we did not pre-pay] and we got the times we requested and used the Platinum perks coupons. We only got one robe. The bathroom scale's battery was dead - maybe a good thing. The bath room waste basked in the sink cabin fell off and needed repair. DH pointed out to the butler that the door to our suite was sticky & soiled with what looked like coffee with sugar and milk - it was like that when we left the ship.

 

Yes, life in the Haven is nice, but a bit over rated unless the staff catering to you have the time to do their jobs. We're not demanding, never requested in suite dining or even breakfast service. Once we had a small group in our suite and the butler brought quite a few items for our guests - we never asked for the selection. The access to the Haven restaurant is nice as is the pool area and outside sun deck on 17.

 

The Haven staff may have been over worked the week we were on because some TA owners and other cruise line execs were also in the Haven. Knowing this, NCL should had added an extra person or two to meet the added demands.

 

If in a Haven PH suite - remember you only get one bottle of water for the week. After that, it's $6.04 and there's nothing in writing to alert you to this in the room. We brought four bottles [same brand and size] onto the ship and were charged for 2 of our own. Also if you have an allergy to feathers - the comforter on the bed is down. So much for allergy pillows - they don't help when the puff is all feathers.

 

Darcy

 

Wow, this is really disappointing to read. This is the second BA story in a week. :( I sailed the BA in Sept. and everything was taken care of, and my requests were all taken care of with Ryan as concierge.

 

You can ask to have a feather free suite. I am highly allergic to feathers so I ensure this by also contacting Access Desk.

[swan2125]

We sail on the EPIC in 48 days, can't wait, just hope its a positive suite experience.

 

I did call NCL to get a couple of bottles of liquor pre-positioned in the suite upon arrival.

 

I also received our "priority" luggage tags and a welcome letter from NCL (Concierge desk) yesterday.

 

As far as a welcome aboard booklet, it told me to go online to http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ncl/welcomeaboard_haven/

[dquire]

We did have a nice time. Just disappointed when we got to the room. We really didn't use any extra services. We took care of show / dinner reservations on our own through the tv service. And yes, our tips were in line with what service we received. Although we did give our room steward extra. He was great. "Ronald"