FLcruisergrl

We were on the Escape in December. No lunch buffet of any sort in the Haven, but they did have the pool “snack menu”. The ceasar wrap was really good.

Get a JS and try to get one on deck 11. There are only a few and they are tucked away next to the solarium. Nice size balconies!

It depends on the ship and on your tastes. Everyone waves about Le Bistro, but of my 2 attempts, both were major fails. People don’t like La Cucina, but on the Sun, it was our best meal. It also has the best filet! On the Escape, it was just okay. We love Ocean Blue also. Cagney’s is usually solid for us. Moderno is ok. I like Los Lobos,  but my hubby doesn’t. 🤷🏼‍♀️

For St Thomas, check out Sunfari- they do awesome, custom Jeep tours. For Tortola, try to get to Jost Van Dyke. It’s gorgeous!

Sunfari. They will completely customize a Jeep tour for you. We’ve used them twice. Love them!

Stormy Pirates 

Not Coki. Go with Secret Harbour or Magens.

Another vote for the Escape.

I was on the Escape, in the Haven, at the end of December. I got all the Veuve I wanted, by the glass (I was even offered doubles). For bottles, I could’ve gotten Moët Imperial. I’m not a wine expert, but I never had any issue getting what I wanted. I got a bottle that wasn’t even listed as being available by the bottle on p+ and there was no charge.

27 minutes ago, nimbex1970 said:

what time of year was this please?

Coki was December, Sapphire was June. Magens was June, Secret Harbour was both December and June.

6 hours ago, Suntanz said:

I am thinking of using Sunfari for a group of 4. Can you ballpark the price to book them?

For the whole day, depending upon what you want (jeep/beach vs jeep/reef) it’s around $175 pp or so. Totally worth it. In December we went to 5 beaches, lunch, and Paradise Point. You can hit the highlights or you can do off the beaten path places.

1 minute ago, farmecologist said:

 

Good to hear.  The only decent reservations I could snag for our upcoming cruise was LeBistro and La Cucina.  I have been reading the fillets at LeBistro are arguably better than Cagneys..which surprised me.

 

We wanted to reserve Ocean Blue....but nothing available.  We may try to switch La Cucina to Ocean Blue once on board....but after looking at the menus, La Cucina actually looks pretty good.  Either way...we won't starve.  🤣  The Osso Buco at La Cucina looks right up my alley as well.  

 

The filet at La Cucina was the best I’ve had.

Ocean Blue. Cagney’s is good. I’ve tried Le Bistro twice now and disliked it both times. The 2nd time made me sick. The bread at Ocean Blue is wonderful, as is the Blazing Shrimp appetizer and the chocolate dessert.

We’ve used Sunfari twice and would absolutely, 110% recommend them! Micky and his crew are fabulous. Go with them and you won’t regret it! You will have so much fun and see a ton.

Thank you for providing additional information not provided in the original post. As others have noted, your daughter may be blue to have a few meals (not all and for a fee) at the discretion of the concierge. She will not be able to use any of the Haven facilities. I would get another Hven room.

Siva is the be all and end all of Maitre'ds. They need to triple his salary! And that flourless chocolate coke, oh my! He would make sure my daughter had it every night (even if she didn’t order it) and brought her 2 on the last night!! He was determined to fatten her up! 😂 We soooo miss that man!

Magens or Secret Harbour. Coki was rough when we were there, as was Sapphire.

For the aft, it’s 2 in the master bedroom and 2 on the living room couch.

6 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

But can you request the filet the night before?  That was the procedure for us on the Joy this past February.   

That’s my understanding. I’m hooked on the banana pancakes, so I didn’t get around to trying the steak and eggs.

Just sailed the Haven in December. The only cutbacks I noticed were on the menu. Primarily the steak and eggs at breakfast is no longer a filet. Service-wise, it’s the same as always.

We’ve done both aft suites and those within the Haven complex. Both are amazing and have the same level of service. If you love a huge balcony, get the aft. If you prefer close proximity to a bar, get the room within the Haven complex. The Escape is great-just got off a few weeks ago. We stayed in the Haven complex. I can honestly say that we barely saw the rest of the ship, though.

13 hours ago, European_CruiseGirl said:

 

 

Now if the concierge would escort you off the ship and all the way past passport/customs via a priority route - that would truly be a good perk. However this has not been our experience ever.

Green Villa. The concierge hands you off to. Rep no you are escorted past everyone, through customs, to an awaiting limo bus. It’s truly amazing!

It’s new and flies in the face of what ship staff encouraged us to do on our 2 cruises in 2022 (but in keeping with what they tried to tell us pre-pandemic).

A few do, but most don’t. Do what you’re comfortable with and others will as well!

8 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

I shall warn him about you. Haha, no, he really does a great job and is willing to do whatevers necessary to make a great trip for all of us. He has such a calm presence which I appreciate as an introvert.

We had Alex on the Dawn in March. It was quite a disorganized check in, due to a late docking from the previous cruise. We finally arrived to the Haven area and I’m sure we looked quite stressed. We definitely were, after being told to go here, no there, then back over there. Alex said, “don’t worry, I am here to take care of you.” And he did. He is one of my top 3 favorites of all time. So calming and professional.