InfrequentPNWCruiser

Frankly , a lot of this is about attitude. Go with positive intent and don't let the little things bother you and you'll have a good time. My cruises on the Star, Prima, and Encore were all great and all of those ships had terrible reviews at the time. Some of the ones posted on same voyage later that I read, I swear it seems like they were on a different one.

Yes, a lot of them are customer service items, but I didn't have to fight it out in crowds on Deck 6 versus quickly addressing things. You can tell them what you want to do (change reservations, shore excursions, etc) and they'll do it so you don't have to. Maybe you want a new excursion and it messes with an dining reservation. They can rework everything so you dont have to go to multiple places. It's all convenience. They are there to expedite things. Everyone in the Haven spent a good amount to get there and frankly you really dont want to be bothered by this small stuff as it can get irritating at times. If you truly don't use them at all don't tip them, but I think most can find some value like bypassing all of the crowds at a port getting off the ship.

They are the contact location for helping to expedite getting off at ports and for disembarking on the last day. They can substitute for and coordinate with Guest Services as needed. We used them to get replacement keycards on the first day when the system crashed on embarkation. We used them to add weight into a rather pesky noise situation and eventually resolve it. They can help untangle things so you can go on with your vacation. We didn't have much intention on using them on our recent cruise, but they were a godsend when you needed some help.

I was on the 10/1 to 10/8 Encore sailing. We were at the Friday 10/6 Choir of Man show and at the end , one of the cast members yelled out that this night was the last night that they were going to be there. Thought originally they meant for that sailing but it sounded more final, so it appears that they may not be back.

It was heavy cream. Started with a small pitcher but upgraded to a larger one mid cruise. Worked out really well for my purposes and frankly the perfect addition to the Nespresso.

Our other family traveling with us was in the balcony cabin next to that room. Guest Services was kinda ehhhh until we additionally complained and brought the concierge in. The words that our family member heard through the walls was repeated back to me from the concierge after they apparently mouthed off this upgrade issue to them. I think they got a stern warning with if it continues then the "outcome will be different." This probably also saved the vacation for the couple next to us and likely the cabin below . We're not heavy complainers but this was off the charts.

Just got off the Encore today and was in the Haven for the first time. Before we went the wife was looking forward towards priority boarding and the larger space (forward facing penthouse) . The room did not disappoint even with the complex lighting arrangement and the too bouncy self closing drawers that we fought all week. Boarding went smooth up to the Haven part when everyone in an aft or forward penthouse got their keycard rejected on the gangway followed by the whole computer system crashing. We were all sent back to the Haven Boarding room to await new keycards...and waited while the room filled up. Eventually we had to be taken manually across the gangway checkpoint and had new cards issued in the Haven. We had another non-Haven party with us who managed to board and eat lunch before we even touched the ship. The Haven restaurant was good but we only ate 3 breakfasts and 2 dinners there. We tended to sleep in late and go to lunch as the first meal or ate on shore or grabbed lighter fare in the Horizon observation lounge where we spent a lot of time. That's a great place to read , relax and watch the whales go by...with a few drinks along the way. I did use a butler letter with the preferences like pillows and snack types and a pitcher of cream for coffee and my keto shakes. That worked out well and we did not pre-tip. We had numerous room service orders and the only one we felt bad about he having to do was that delivery of the god-awful tasteless dried-out "anniversary" cake (NCL - why bother doing this if even you arent going to try and give things out that is probably the worst food item on board) from dinner at Los Lobos . We ended up tipping $150 to the butler, $100 to the concierge and an extra $60 to the very helpful room steward. We weren't planning to use the concierge much but we had to enlist their help in dealing with a noise issue from an adjacent cabin who apparently was going to make everyone's life hell after they did not get their upgrade. We had a cabin between us and them and it was like a herd of elephants on Sunday afternoon/evening. So we had the power of the Haven to bring the hammer down. Luckily, that solved it and we had the concierge and various officers check in periodically with us if all was well. Overall, the experience was good and may try again if we can get something reasonable and maybe within the complex next time. Being outside, you tend not to use it as much ( why go up 5 decks to just go down to deck 4 to get off). Since any other cruises will be at the Platinum level now, we may stick with club balconies and Vibe as a reasonable compromise.

Here on the Encore in the Haven , with a full ship, the Haven bar has not been busy at all with service on demand at any time. Also we had canned soda ordered as part of room service and didn't get charged for it either. Just not seeing those issues here as raised in that video. However we all know that there is a lot of variance ship to ship.

There is a grill on Prima just aft of the main buffet and adjacent to the Vibe, but it is not outside. Used it plenty while hanging around in the Vibe to avoid the zoo of the buffet.

My wife had the upcharge ribeye once on the Prima in April. It was not worth it as it was tough and gristle and she left most on the plate. Unfortunately, this mirrors our last Cagney's experience, so just not thrilled with stuff from there (yet meat from other specialty restaurants is fine).

Yes, all of the ports have plenty to see and do within walking distance of the pier, so that shouldn't be an issue. Be aware of that a number of ports have some steep walking such as Halifax and St John's once you leave the direct port area.

This works great plus it allows other items to be purchased if desired such as the baked goodies. The beverage package doesn't cover these items.

Yep, and it's good too. We've ordered these for room service multiple times, so there's standards for what a grilled cheese sandwich is. A deconstructed poutine-wannabe is not it...

The Vibe was a lifesaver for our cruise as it is an uncrowded respite from the rest of the ship. We found Ocean Blvd pretty much overrun daily and forget anything around the pool. We spent good chunks of every day in there. We grabbed food from the buffet for lunch, listened to music coming from the adjacent Speedway Bar, had all of the drinks wanted plus a number of cookies daily, and got waterlogged in the hot tubs. While it is not an absolute requirement, I'd go for the Vibe again on the right cruise.

This is a separate cruise so everything should reset. Guess everyone doesn't seem to care or is just phoning it in. Apparently everything has as the food is back to its laughable state. I'd hate to have to start all over with people after being through the last cruise.