amygutman

Wow!

This is almost as exciting as going on the cruise itself - we are on the Breakaway in Haven 16110 June 18th, and this is a fantastic surprise.

You have amazing youtube skills, and as much as I am LOVING every moment you are showing, please remember to first and foremost enjoy yourself.

Thank you and I cannot wait to see how much fun you have on your vacation.

Warm Regards, Amy

After staying in in balcony rooms for our 1st 3 cruises, now 1 suite and 1 Haven later, we have gone from "the balcony chairs are uncomfortable but fine, let run to the buffet to bring cold plates of snacks back to our room while balancing drinks, cage fight the masses to shows and disembarkment, and not get refunded for missed excursions" to....butler and concierge heaven.

The best way I have heard it described is that the concierge is there to make sure your vacation is everything you hoped for and more, and the butler is the one who facilitates those dreams...

On our last trip, our butler changed out our balcony chairs for cushioned loungers, had room service delivered on time / hot / fresh, made sure our concierge knew of all of our show / dining times and had us ready for all excursions, and worked with our concierge to get a refund for a cancelled day trip. He and his butler in training knew our room needs - 1 vegan who likes french press coffee and almond milk, 1 meat eater who loves fresh shrimp canapes, and 1 fussy child who loved collecting napkin rings with his afternoon gummi bears. He brought us extra pillows, special bath salts for the tub, and had holiday treats sent to the room. When I commented (not complained - big, big difference) that one of the cabinet doors wouldn't close, it was replaced by that afternoon.

It's lovely to have the luxury of picking up the phone and hearing "yes" on the other end - it's so rare in the real world! Common courtesy goes a long, long way, as does a "thank you" and a smile.

As the mother of a special needs child, the butler made sure he had quiet places to sit, made the towel animals my son requested, and made sure he had extra soft blankets. When he broke his tooth and split his lip, he grabbed band aids and ice and gave him hugs. The butler helped with our laundry after my mother ran out of "unmentionables", and had the 1 day turnaround done in 6 hours! The butler and room attendant threw us an anniversary party in our room after we asked our maitre d' for a special bottle of wine at dinner - literally 30 minutes later our room was decorated, with another complimentary bottle of wine plus our leftover cake delivered to the suite!

Are we snobs - no. Do we loved being pampered for a week - yes! We never have outrageous requests, do not have ridiculous expectations, and have had amazing experiences. As for tipping, we start every cruise with a "pre-thank you handshake" - tips for the stateroom attendant, butler, concierge, head bartender and maitre d'. We also tip again at the end of the trip. Why so much? Well...for 7 days this team makes you and your family feel like the most important A List celebrities in the world, and give my son such happy memories that it is well worth every cent. Would we get great service without this - absolutely. But after spending years as a waitress and in low-paying service industry jobs, I know what it is like to work hard for little reward or appreciation.

So, enjoy your butler - ask about their family, fill out the comment cards, remember to ask them if they have any special items they may need if you go off the ship, and enjoy your vacation!

What a fun thread to stumble upon...

A few thoughts to add - about us for context- Family have been on 5 cruises (2 Disney, 2 NCL, 1 RCL); the 2 NCLs were on the Gem (Aft balcony) and the Breakaway this past Christmas (Haven 2 Family Suite). Headed to Bermuda in June in a H5 on the Breakaway and counting the days.

1. PooPourii...I agree wholeheartedly in buying this travel spray. No matter how big or small your bathroom (we've had both), it saves the marriage and family. We also get air fresheners to put around the room and bathroom. You can get a 3 pack at Bed, Bath & Beyond for about 5 dollars. We did "Cinnamon and cloves" for Christmas, and it actually smelled...like Christmas!
   
2. Magnets / Hook Magnets...The last 2 rooms we stayed in had minimal metal to use magnets on. Has never worked well for us. Not saying this trick doesn't work, but maybe we didn't expend the effort to find more metal areas!
   
3. Shopping / Laundry...Agree that if you can wait a few days, do not shop early or often! Everything goes on sale later in the trip. Spa, laundry, gym classes...everything goes 50-75% off at some point in the cruise. Especially the spa services....
   
4. Spa Services...The fun of a message is rather ruined by the pushy sales pitch at the end. I know the therapists are obligated to sell, but it's not relaxing at all. I waited until a beach day at Great Stirrup Cay, and snuck in a 30 minute massage on the beach. for 50% off, I was more than happy to be half-nekid in a flimsy tent! It's odd..the sales pitch is stressful, but being bare from the top down in the midst of 5,000 beach-goers - not so much (what does that say about me?)
   
5. Haven Living...unless you want to be ruined for the rest of your cruises, DO NOT ever book a Haven. You cannot (I repeat...CANNOT) go back to anything else. For us, the extra money is worth it, especially for the easy embarkation / debarkation and 5 star service 24/7. Calculate in the drinks, perks, and absolute dedication to your satisfaction - this is what vacationing is all about. We are not rich, but I put aside money every month to go on 2 trips a year, and to me, 7 days of luxury is worth every penny.
   

Sorry to sound like a snob - but if I had known about the Haven, I would never of traveled on the RCL Anthem in a balcony (like throwing away 6 grand). I challenge you - if you are in a balcony, start adding in your additional charged that NCL is so fond of - UDP, dining package, spending money...and you come really close to the H5 or H6...not the Owner's Suites, but the lowest level of Haven still gets everything "Haven".

Have fun....Amy

Thank you so much for the amazing review, and may I commend you for your honest and open look at life when the universe gives you a reminder that life is short and precious.

We were in the Haven Breakaway for Christmas last year, and I was hesitant because of the cost of taking not just my DH and son, but both sets of parents and in-laws. As it turns out, my mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor shortly after, and my mother-in-law was told she was in kidney failure. So, my biggest worry turned from a financial expense to a personal challenge. The first holiday together as a family will also likely be the last, and for that....I have absolutely no regrets.

Keep on cruising, never make apologies for living it up in the Haven, and my thoughts and prayers to you and your wonderful family.

With Love, Amy

Hello Friends -

This new upsell strategy is interesting. On our last cruise (December 2016), we had booked a Haven H4 (2 family) and when we called to see if an upsell was available (we were travelling with in-laws and grandparents and were thinking about consolidating all 3 cabins together with an owner's suite + penthouse), we were told "You are already in the Haven... you can't upgrade".

Not that we are greedy, but I was a little miffed that anyone EXCEPT those previously booked into the Haven could bid to upgrade. No biggie in the grand scheme of the universe.

So, imagine my surprise that for our June 18th Breakaway sailing, just today I recieved an upsell offer for an H2, H3 and H4 from our H5 Haven penthouse.

I'm curious what the minimum bid for those already not in the Haven is...for us, then minimum per person was 600$ (H4) and 750$ (H2 / H3)...more than I am willing to pay as I got a great deal on our room (I book a year in advance thhroughh an amazing agent...prices usually never drop lower than what I pay due to his diligence). DH would not want me wasting any more money as our H5 gets us everything we love about the Haven minus a 2nd room / bathroom.

Problem is...once you go Haven you cannot go back to "the real world" as you get spoiled rotten, but I cannot stop fantasizing about those Owner's suites. Damn you NCL marketing department!:evilsmile:

I'm not 100% sure, but my family had many late nights on the Breakaway this past Christmas, and I do not remember the hot tubs every being netted over except one day for cleaning (and that was only for a few hours).

That being said, "late" for us old fogeys is not past 2200 or 2300...

Gutman

So appreciative of this fantastic blog. First of all...you and your wife seem like incredibly fun people - also, ready to roll with the punches or "waves"...not a complaint about the weather that was unjust and a very fair assessment of all of your meals, activities and interactions with staff and fellow passengers. We are heading out on the Anthem on the 22nd, and this has been an eye-opener. If you ever give up your day job (what ever that may be), a travel-blogger would be a perfect vocation for you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for providing me an hour of "brain rest" after a 7 day stretch at work in the ED.

Enjoy your trip back to England, and my deep appreciation for this great resource - you made a lot of people very, very happy!

Regards,

Amy

Thank you for sharing your stories and tips - so helpful and heartwarming. My son is 6, missing just a bit of one chromosome, and "somewhere on the spectrum" per his geneticist - to us...he's just our amazing son who has some language and developmental challenges that he works every day to overcome.

Not everyone in the world enjoys quirky and unpredictable, but I have found to my amazement on each of our three cruises, the majority of cruisers seem unfazed by children or adults with special needs. Ro has had some extraordinary experiences on Disney and NCL, marred only by one bad interaction on the Gem - lovely staff in the Kid's Club, but there are no "alternative" activities for kids who do not wish to play in groups or have programmed activities, which led to him not enjoying his time at all (and a few fantastically loud tantrums which I am sure everyone in the aft of the ship heard!). The Gem also tried to give us another child when "Ro's brother was having a bad day" - We only have one child, so....after that, no more Kids' Club for us, as we were concerned about safety. We were lucky enough to upgrade to a suite, and the staff took care of all of his needs, made him feel special and brought him treats every day - concierge and all of the staff knew him by name and were absolutely wonderful.

Chose the RCL Anthem for 2 reasons - the Autism on the Seas endorsement, and the idea of a Kids' Club that can tailor his activities to his needs. We are hopeful that the size of the ship (twice what we are used to) does not overwhelm him, or us for that matter, and are not in a suite, so will take advantage of the room service option if needed. Am willing to give NCL a second chance after reading the above reviews, but am hopeful that RCL and our Celebrity cruise after that will meet our high expectations.

Thank you to all for making my spirits high before a long night at work! ~Amy