LrgPizza

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

We've traveled in the Haven four times, once as a "letter-writer" and three times as those that talk through their requests with the butler/steward. We saw little difference in service on any of our trips. 

We did, however have a few occurrences where we saw jerks in the Haven. Premium service was provided to these idiots, but they still insisted on being ugly and disgusting.  

 

1. Milk man - I've told this story before. Daddy was upset his butler did not get milk for his spoiled toddler pronto. Milk man then went to the Haven Restaurant's host demanding milk. Not asking, but demanding. He subsequently told others how much better suite service is on Royal Caribbean, however his traveling party forced him on NCL. Anyway, milk man didn't wait more than two minutes before storming off. I guess it wasn't that big a priority. Twenty minutes later he was back, wondering where the milk was. The maitre d inquired with the host about the milk who told Milk man that she had brought it, but put it back in the cooler as he was nowhere to be found. He huffed and puffed while she retrieved the milk. We saw Milk man several other times and only once did he look happy. Don't be a Milk man.

 

2. Burger man - This guy ordered a plain burger in the Haven Restaurant. Well, the burger came with mayonnaise on it. Burger man then stated how, "HE ORDERED A PLAIN BURGER, BUT THERE'S MAYO ON IT. GET ME A PLAIN BURGER NOW." The server, of course, apologized, and got Burger man his burger. Ridiculous Burger man ate less than half of his burger. A good waste of cow: first, the burger that went uneaten, because Burger man is a French shower, and secondly, the second burger that was less than half eaten. Burger man was able to dip his fries in ketchup. 

 

I have more examples of entitled Haven customers, but I'll stop with my men for now. We hear all about Karen's, but my stories feature the Ken's of the world. I'm sure some jerks do reside in those Deck 5 inside cabins, but I haven't seen them. Just the Haven jerks. 

There was a boy in the Haven Restaurant, old enough to know better, who would take off running, screaming, from the table every night.  He would then go hide under a table in another area of the restaurant. Everyone would stare while the dad tried to reason with the child.  I said a little too loud, "Dad needs to get down there, haul that kid out, and get him out of here."  The server heard me, rolled her eyes, and said, "That boy does that every single meal. They never take him out."  If my husband had let me, I'd have gone over there and done it myself.  The little *****.

1 hour ago, KeithJenner said:

Interesting review.

 

We seem to agree on most things, and my opinion of the Haven is very similar to yours. For us, the main advantage of a suite is the room (which is why we like non Haven suites).

 

We also really enjoy breakfast in the suite dining room. I very rarely want a proper sit down lunch, so that is irrelevant to me. If we stayed in a suite on a ship with a Haven restaurant then I'm sure we would eat there a few times. I wouldn't pay a huge amount extra for those things though.

 

It's interesting that you have had some replies with comments on how you can get more out of the Butler. I suspect that, like us, you really aren't fussed about what they do though. We find the Butler and Concierge more of an inconvenience than a benefit, so wouldn't do anything to encourage them. I remember the annoyance once, when we had VIP benefits on the Spirit and I made the mistake of mentioning to the concierge that we had a dining booking to make and he insisted on doing it for me. What I could have done in 2 minutes on the app took about 10 minutes on the phone with the concierge acting as a buffer between me and the reservation desk. Total waste of time.

 

Anyway, I agree with your conclusions. Suites are great rooms, we would pay a bit extra for them, and the dining options are nice, but overall I can take or leave them. We enjoy the general public areas too much to feel the need to spend too much time in the Haven. The one time we were in the Haven (on the Pearl, so without the bar/restaurant), we found that we sometimes spent time there that we later regretted as we would have enjoyed being in the public bar areas more.

 

I may stick a small bid in on our Breakaway cruise though, but at a level that is very unlikely to be accepted. However, we have a great aft cabin booked, so is there really any need?

It's been quite a while since I've cruised with you, Keith.  I'd imagine us sitting at the Haven bar, ordering beer, and being frowned upon by the bartenders trying to push us into ordering something more fancy and classy.  It went something like this: "No thanks. I'm good with the beer. And you can keep your glass."

13 minutes ago, Beamco said:

While I don't write a letter - I pay attention to the letter suggestions and all the knowledge imparted through other letter writers who have replied to the @Sthrngary thread. I have a nice getting to know you chat with the Butler day one. I am always grateful and pleasant in my interactions with them and they always seem to respond with great service without me really asking for it! What a novel idea being pleasant gets rewarded! I look at the OP's post differently - the OP went looking for an issue with the Haven and found it. Stranger things can be true but I was in a FF Haven cabin for 15 days in early 23 on floor 10 , my butler was awesome, my room steward equally awesome, 50/50 chance I was in the same cabin as the OP. I can't see the Haven experience on Joy going downhill that much since I got off in early Feb! I didn't ask for much but what was asked for was immediately accommodated - including chocolate chip cookies! The afternoon snacks are not always the greatest but the ones that I like I eat, the ones that I don't want I ask the Butler to not deliver them and to bring something else - I ask for PB&J sandwiches and BLT's and I always get them once or twice per cruise, the pates and other canopies rarely come to my room because I ask them not to bring them. I explain they will only be wasted. I love going to the Haven bar ordering drinks chatting for a few moments with whoever is there or the bartenders and then taking the short walk back to the Horizon Lounge - typically in the afternoon - and watch the sun go down, oh the horror I had to walk 200 feet to get a drink to enjoy in the Horizon Lounge. Oh and if there was a snack I liked from the Horizon Lounge i.e. Pretzel Rolls I didn't ask the Butler for them I wrapped a few up in a napkin and brought them to my room for later, easy peasy I had what I wanted with little to no effort and I didn't even have to ask the Butler to do something I easily could do myself.  Because I read the posts of the letter writers I know to expect a leisurely paced meal in the Haven restaurant, and I also know I can ask for multiple lobster tails with dinner, or more dumplings in the chicken consommé, etc. I am always grateful when they accommodate a request and I am always understanding when they can't - but for some reason maybe it's that concept of being pleasant and only making reasonable requests I have not been told no for anything in the Haven Restaurant, and neither has my daughter who tends to travel with my wife and I. Patrick has been the concierge on at least 2 of my cruises and has been visible and helpful each time, along with the entire concierge team - they have been great and provide the services noted by @graphicguy above. Personally I can't wait to sail in a Haven with Patrick as the concierge again. And for what it's worth (which is basically not very much!) I read these threads and the FB threads often and I am seriously tired of the postings referring to the entitled attitude of Haven Cruisers and I do take insult to the OP's comments on "letter writers" and use of the word "entitled!" The rare entitled people I have met in the Haven could never diminish my enjoyment of the Haven! Again if you look for it you will find it - me I choose to be blissfully ignorant as I relax and unwind in the Haven that I worked so hard to be able to be in once or maybe twice per year - I'm on vacation and nothing is going to spoil it for me and believe me even in the Haven I have had things happen that I could complain about all day online but again I adjust so I can enjoy my hard earned vacation - unfortunately most of this world is looking for ways to denigrate things under the guise of just posting my honest opinion. An honest opinion can be posted without insulting a multitude of people with snarky snide comments!

You are sure reading a lot into my post that wasn't there, but that's okay!  My attitude was great. With this being our first Haven experience, I really didn't know what to expect, so when we didn't get things we asked for, we certainly didn't let it impact our cruise. At the time my son asked for pretzels, we had not yet been in the lounges to see that they were there. Once we found them, perfect!  And once we found out that they would not bring them to the restaurant during dinner, no big deal. He simply was going to have them as a side dish, but he certainly lived and didn't care when denied. He's a 20 year old picky eater, and he has learned to live with himself. haha

I don't consider being pleasant a novel suggestion. I consider it a given. All staff with whom we dealt were extremely friendly, professional, and pleasant, and not just because we were the same to them, but because they are just so well trained.

35 minutes ago, njkate said:

... Our cabin steward was phenomenal so a good portion of what I budgeted for the butler was added to his tip, 

.

We did the same - he got a large tip. He was the best steward I've ever had. Since we were not in the Haven, he was also servicing all the standard cabins around us, so he was not a "Haven steward".  We loved the guy.

1 minute ago, scooter6139 said:

 

Thanks for the review.  Just so you know, you might have just called out and perhaps insulted an entire group with the "letter writers" comment, as that is a very specific thing here.  

 

Perhaps you never read this forum before?

 

where do you think I came up with the term?

Since many, like myself, are fans of Clarense Bennett Sauceda, aka The Chocolate Cowboy, I thought I'd share. He boarded the NCJ Joy on 5/28, and will be in the Sugarcane Bar for 6 short weeks before disembarking to go open the Viva.  He said he is working just 3 more years, then retiring to Honduras.

For those who are lucky enough to sail with him, like me, congratulations.  He truly is an NCL legend.

I didn't put my Username in the title, but I did refer to myself in 3rd person, so you know this is important stuff right here...

I have always been a never-Haven cruiser, and I just spent a week of Haven on the NCL Joy.  Here are my thoughts on the whole “once you go Haven, you’ll never go back” movement.

We originally booked a standard balcony cabin. To my surprise, my husband placed a bid on a Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony. The bid was barely into the “Fair” category, which is orange on the little pie chart bid thing.  The very next day, he was notified it was accepted.  Our cabin was a two-room front corner thing, with a balcony off the living room area and a forward-facing porthole off the bedroom.  We were on Deck 10, so not in the actual Haven space.

Our cabin was fantastic.  We loved everything about it.  There was so much storage space that I could have brought every article of clothing, purse, shoes etc. that I own.  There was way more storage just in the bathroom alone than in my own bathroom at home.  I think we used about 1/10 of the storage space in this cabin.  The bed was comfortable, the shower was spacious, there was a tub we never used, and a separate mirrored, seated vanity area. (Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures of the cabin. We aren’t really picture people. There are lots of pictures out there already.

We met our butler, Xolani, on the very first day.  I never saw him again the entire cruise, which was fine, because I really didn’t need anything from him.  I called him once because the hair dryer was broken. After 2 days, I mentioned it to my outstanding cabin steward, Cleward, who immediately got me a new one, and had an electrical person install it. (Which I call “plugging it in.”)    I had often read about requesting specific snacks to have in the cabin.  We really aren’t snackers, and don’t spend much time in the cabin, but that first day Xolani asked us if we wanted any special snacks.  My husband asked for chocolate chip cookies, and my son asked for pretzel rolls. I couldn’t think of anything, so I passed.   This was on Sunday.  On Tuesday, a plate appeared with white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisin cookies. We never saw a chocolate chip cookie.  No big deal, because if my husband wanted some, there were plenty to be found on board.  On Wednesday, my son was brought some pretzel rolls.  That was the only time.  This wasn’t what we had expected to happen with the stories we had read here, but again, we aren’t really snackers, and if we were, there are plenty to be found around the ship, in the Haven’s Horizon lounge or the regular observation lounge. We were also brought some little sandwich things that looked gross. They always had potato chips with them which were soggy from having been enclosed with the sandwiches.

I think someone named Patrick was the concierge. He greeted us in the waiting area of the terminal before boarding.  After that, I don’t think we saw him until disembarking. There was a man named Mr. X who was always behind the concierge desk, who was handy if we had any questions, or when we needed to move a reservation.  It really was no different than going to the box office, but I can see how it would be convenient if you have lots of changes and things to coordinate between dining and shows.

The Haven restaurant is often described as the best part of the Haven, and we agree, even after it got off to a bad service start. The food was spectacular.  I ate dinner there 3 times, lunch 6 times, and breakfast 3 times.  When we arrived for our first meal there (dinner on embarkation day), they were trying very hard to divert people to Q the smokehouse to dine for free.  We declined and were seated immediately. The place was about 2/3 full.  We waited over 20 minutes for someone to stop by and say anything to us.  After we had finished our appetizers and had plates cleared, it was over an hour before our entrees arrived, or before anyone even stopped by to check on us.  By the time we finished our entrees, we had already been there nearly 2.5 hours, so we skipped out before being offered dessert. It was our first night at sea, and we had other things to do.  That first night, I had the surf & turf, and my meal was delicious. My son had the pork loin scallopini.  It comes with spaetzle, a mushroom sauce, and some veggies. He asked them to hold the veggies. They held absolutely everything except the tiny dry portion of pork. We had a chuckle at this. He just headed to the buffet for more food later, so no big deal. He didn’t want to risk waiting another hour for them to fix it.  Interestingly, this was the only time our service was bad in the Haven restaurant, and we never saw that waiter again the entire cruise.  While we quickly learned that special requests often would not be granted, we learned to adjust.  Some examples: The mini buffet has all the fixings for lox & bagel except the bagels, so I made mine on plain bread the first day. The next day, I asked if I could get a bagel, but it never arrived, so I think the answer was no?  It was not a big deal, because I would get lox and bagels in the regular Garden Café buffet.  Further, my son asked for apple juice for lunch, since he does not drink soda or alcohol. He was told no, they can only get it at breakfast, so he just drank water every meal.  One dinner he asked for pretzel rolls. He was told no, because “those are only in the lounge.”  He apologized for asking.  I asked for broccolini (a listed side on the menu) instead of spinach with my surf and turf.  It didn’t happen, so I just ignored the spinach…   Anyway, while it was certainly a learning experience for us regarding special requests, we really enjoyed all the food that we did eat.  On the very last day, my son asked for 2 lobster tails instead of the steak part of surf and turf.  They did indeed accommodate him, so I was happy he was brave enough to make another request.

The other thing we liked about the Haven was having a place to chill out away from the crowds.  It rained quite a bit on the cruise, and when we could not find space outside on the deck 8 Waterfront, we could always find space in the upper level lounge chairs around the pool area. This is not an area we would typically spend any time, because there is no view of the ocean from the Haven Courtyard, and we like to see the ocean when we cruise, but it was great when no outside space could be found on rainy days. We never used the Haven pool. It was packed with kids the entire trip.  We were not bothered by this in the slightest, but we heard many others complaining.  I found a hidden plastic duck near a stair rail and I tossed it to the kids in the Haven pool.  They loved it. 

The Horizon lounge (the observation lounge for Haven guests) was cozy, but there is no bar. The same with the sun deck. There is such a tiny bar for the entire Haven area, and it just cannot keep up.  While servers would generally come around the various areas, it was usually half an hour to get a drink.  Since we were not actually staying in the Haven, we would stop and grab drinks elsewhere before heading there.

We found there to be lots of demanding and entitled people in the Haven.  While there are demanding and entitled people everywhere, I always imagined it would be more highly concentrated in the Haven, and my expectations were certainly met.  I called these people “letter-writers”, because these seemed like people that would send those lengthy letters prior to boarding requesting the sun and the moon be delivered to them, and don’t forget the white gloves. I found myself sitting at bars and places with the key card upside down because I didn’t want anyone to know. We had priority boarding on the ferry from the ship to St. Georges.  As we were paraded past the giant line of other cruisers, I felt embarrassed.   I would love to call out so many people specifically, and maybe I will later, but I am sure that many will recognize themselves here, so for now I will refrain.  It just made me uncomfortable.  There were also lots of normal, fun people in the Haven, but you had to really look for them. We made some great new friends. 

My overall impressions of the Haven are mixed.  I can take it or leave it.  I loved the cabin. I loved the restaurant.  We will probably place a bid in the “fair” category again in the future, but I cannot imagine ever booking it directly. We had an absolutely fabulous cruise, and can't wait to sail again.  This one was a blast, but it had nothing really to do with the Haven.

I have a question for all you Haven folks… I’ve heard people say you can drop bags off as soon as you board in your Haven suite. What if the suite is not located in the Haven proper?

I’m sorry you missed Six. It is still playing on Broadway, and it is fabulous!  Personally, I can’t imagine being bored on a cruise - or relaxing on one, for that matter. For us, the ship is the destination, and we never have enough time to do all we want to do. It’s pretty much go, go, go the entire trip. That said, cruising isn’t for everyone, and we enjoy land trips just as well.  Sorry your trip was a bust. 

22 minutes ago, TheBucketLister said:

Check the cruise planner.  Go to Spa Services and then filter by Men's Services.  If it is offered on that ship, it should be listed.  For example, for Anthem (in my Cruise Planner), a Men's Wet Cut and Style Dry is $32.

 

I found it. Thank you!  This app is new to me. I’m familiar with NCL’s app, so I’m not used to one having this much useful information. Haha

Is this a thing? I’m not seeing a barbershop. If he gets a cut in the regular salon, is the price the same as a woman getting the works? He just needs a trim. Desperately. 

On 3/23/2023 at 3:36 AM, Jasukkie said:

I don't see why a 20 year old can't participate in anything going on around the ship. They can have a non-alcoholic drink and do the same activities. It's one of the positives about cruising to me. No one cares if you are drinking or not.

My son wouldn’t drink if he could. That wasn’t the reason for my post. I get what you are saying though. 

3 hours ago, Luv2teachandcruise said:

So, I know this will sound like a first world problem, but...In June we took our first cruise post-covid and my sons were 16 and a recent 18. My 18 year old was MISERABLE! 

My son grew up on NCL, and he had an okay time last year at 19. But this is why I say it’s an awkward time, because activities were limited. Although over 18 can drink on NCL with parent permission, he had no interest. This will be his first time on RCI, so he isn’t sure what to expect. I think he will simply have fun exploring a totally different ship, eating pizza, and karaoke. 

8 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

 

I was surprised by how many "Hyperlink" activities there were in my upcoming Allure planner! I don't remember seeing any last year (also on Allure).

So we need to keep an eye out for “Hyperlink”? Will do. 

37 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Check the app for this week's sailing - it may list some activities for that age group.

28 minutes ago, TheBucketLister said:

@LrgPizza In case you don’t know how to do that;, swipe left and tap Select a different cruise, then tap Browse our Ships, select the ship, then select the current sailing.  Then you can scroll through all the activities each day.

Outstanding!  I did not know you could do that in the app.  This is crazy helpful!

Hello fellow sailors,

I'm traveling next week with my 20 year old son on his spring break on Navigator of the Seas. I'm not very familiar with RCI ships.  I am wondering if there will be any meet n greets or singles activities on board for this age group that is too old for teen club but too young to drink?

I bought 4 sets on my recent Alaska cruise. This is the first I realized I was to have turned them in when I boarded. I just took them to the cabin with me. Oops. 

We will be at Amber Cove next week.  I'm trying to understand if all of these facilities will be available to us, or if we are just docking there, and the water fun is simply a private thing for Carnival passengers. I hope this makes sense. 

On 11/3/2021 at 9:49 PM, Scubadoc said:

We are booked may 31 on the Spirit from tahiti to Hawaii for our anniversary. Does anyone think these cancellations will affect this cruise?  We have planned so long for this. 

These cancellations will not.

That's not to say there won't later be cancellations that will.

EDIT:  This was Encore. I just realized you said Escape. My bad.

On the Relaunch cruise, Englebert was in DBH. He had also been there on the Transatlantic, so that was cool. Yusuf was not there.

I can't remember the name of the entertainer. He was very friendly, and would go around to tables introducing himself to people. The older crowd loved him a lot, but he wasn't our style. He did some of the typical sing-alongs, but talked more than he played, and he wasn't funny or anything. A nice guy though!

If you’ve been to a Brazilian Steakhouse on land, you might be disappointed. If you have not, then you might be blown away. It’s worth trying, but there’s a reason it’s not being included on newer ships. There are better specialty options, but it is fun to experience if you haven’t. 

I absolutely loved the Encore Transatlantic, which was a cold weather cruise. No way would I sail this ship in the Caribbean despite my love for her. 

Was your cruise 7 nights? They always do the comedians in the theater one or two nights, and it’s usually less than half full. You could have gone to one of those. I’m pretty sure the Beatles are in the theater one night, as well. 
 

This is the 6th straight ship with this elevator set up. Yeah, not ideal. 
 

Sorry your trip sucked. 

13 hours ago, SkierRobUMN said:

Does anyone have pics of the main dining room dinner menus? I’ve searched and can’t find anything. 

They are the same fleet wide, so search on other ships.

Don't wait for the announcement that passengers can get off. I am sometimes quite a ways down the pier before I hear the ship announce this. Instead, go wait near the exit for them to open. They will motion you over when it is time. I've never had to wait on excursions on any cruise ship when docking at a pier.