DMH15

16 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

We've sailed in 17010 three times.

 

We like this cabin because it is the last 2-bedroom port side and it is obvious where your cabin is located by the break in the hallway (it makes sense when you are there). My husband also likes this cabin because it is right across from the Haven private gym.

Loved that gym.  

On 4/28/2024 at 1:49 PM, david_sobe said:

The 2 cabin suites on Epic 16001 and 17001 are always highly sought after because they are wider than all the other 2 bedroom suites on Epic.  They are forward and have a solarium instead of a balcony. We loved the solarium because it was so big and like another room.  It even has its own thermostat.  Deck 16 is the same floor as the concierge, pool, and restaurant.  If you want a bigger suite and you dont mind a solarium, see if one of these are available.

I dont know why NCL made these center forward cabins bigger than the rest.  The living room is 2 feet wider and the second bedroom is also 2 feet wider. 

We were in 17004 DOS.  Great part of the ship.  Very quiet.  Loved it.  
 

love Epic Haven and POSH.  Loved that Epic Haven had a spa treatment room for massages to slink back to the suite after relaxing treatment. 

21 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

When you are in the haven, you can ask the butler to serve your dinner from the main dining room or specialty restaurants.  We haven't done it personally, but know it can be done but we haven't taken advantage of it before.  I do think there needs to be advance notice.  Maybe others can chime in? 

I have had Le Bistro and others served in my suite.  I ask the butler to bring it all at once at a time that is convenient for him.  This was wonderful on a port intensive cruise.  I ate in my pjs after a nice bath.  Heaven. 

3 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@Barney Gallagher I think you mean April or May.  That said, I will tell you what I do and you can consider others approaches as well.  Assuming you will be leaving from Miami or New Orleans.  Miami is my favorite because it is NCL new terminal.  I get to the port about 10:00 AM.  I usually have to wait for the security to open for my cruise.  I wait at the beginning of the line which is why I get there early.  Every guest has to go through the same security.  

 

Once through the security, go to the end passed the normal counters looking for the Haven Sign.  Don't be surprised if the folks at the Port are clueless.  Just look for the sign.  As you know or don't know, Haven guest can board anytime. They are also the first to board the ship.  So you check in at the Haven counter, go to the Haven Port Lounge, take a seat near the door exit to the ship.  When you see them open it, get up and walk towards that door.  You are first on board, first to check in at Muster, first to talk to the Haven Concierge about any changes you need.  That is my approach.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

I like your style!  Viola!  You are on a cruise ship instead of sitting in a hotel room. 

4 hours ago, erisajd said:

Like my post says - I want to know how many others I'll be competing for space at the bar with - and in the Haven restaurant - hot tubs, pool area, forward observation lounge - etc etc etc. 

 

180 is manageable - 400 isn't. . . 

Ok seems to be easy math.  
 

look at any NCL ship and count the Haven rooms.  Multiply by 2 adults as most, no all, 3rd and 4th guests might be teens and kids who do not sit at the bar.  this would be your max.  
 

of course there will be pax who might occasionally or never sit at the bar.  
 

On 4/11/2024 at 12:01 PM, erisajd said:

On your average overbooked 2024 cruise - how many folks will be competing for those 8 bar stools in the Haven bar?

 

Put a more generalized way - how many guests are generally in the Haven on any particular cruise - [-I know I know, it differs from cruise to cruise, YMMV, may have more or fewer kids etc etc etc]  

 

As a Haven guest of several cruises I only remember sitting on barstools once.  Epic Sailaway.  We were in DOS and had 3 bottles in our room and a great balcony. 
 

Out of Haven pax you will have many demographics. Every cruise differs.  What exactly are you wondering about?

On 3/28/2024 at 11:47 PM, Battlement said:

An update, and thanks to everyone who's been following:

 

I'd like to talk a little about butlers. 

 

I've cruised as "high end" as Oceania and Windstar, and as "entry-level" as the $299 3-day Senor Frog's run on Carnival (much younger days...ahh). But anyway, someone mentioned that butlers are hit or miss. I very much agree, and on our current cruise, our butler is very much a miss. 

 

I tipped him $100 cash on Day 1, telling him that I really wanted my wife and son to be impressed with the NCL experience, and that I would continue to pay for excellent service. We've gotten the complete opposite. You know when you go to the store, and the person at the desk seems to want to do anything but help you? By the very set of their face, you can tell they hate their job, at least at that moment, and they just don't want to do anything but the absolute bare minimum, and even that will be reluctantly?

 

Not one smile, not one thank you (even when I handed him the cash...don't you learn that in kindergarten?) Only an every-other-day visit, where we sometimes get snacks and sometimes don't. 

 

On Day 2, the boat rocked like crazy. This caused the delay that cut our shore time in half. Vomit bags were on every floor railing. Our awesome room steward came and lashed down the balcony furniture (he's great). All 3 of us got totally seasick - first time ever for me, in over 25 cruises. We called the butler for room service. He brought it an hour late (they get busy, I know). I tipped him another $20. He grumbled that the pork chop took 30 minutes to be ready. 

 

Then, because my wife was uncomfortable calling him for the dishes to be taken away, I put them in the hallway with ALL the other dishes from half the visible rooms at 11pm. 

 

He gave us the third degree about it the next day, making it clear that he looks bad if there are dishes in the hall. 

 

You can hate your job. I've been there. You can also be overwhelmed, overworked, have personal stuff going on. I get that too. 

 

But you cannot expect to last long as a butler on an expensive, exclusive area of a cruise ship if you treat your customers like crap. 

 

The bar is also overwhelmed, as the change from 2 port days to 2 sea days has vastly increased customer traffic on those days. I get it. I tipped a random server at OSheehan's 20$ just for bringing my kid a second Shirley Temple without asking (O'Sheehan's was the only food place open at 9:32PM tonight - the buffet was closed. Boat was at sea). That guy was overworked too, but he tried his best.

 

I really wanted to like NCL Haven. I really did. But between Butler McCrankyton and the mostly average food and the insanely overpacked Haven bar area...not sure I would do this line again. 

 

Sorry to be negative on this awesome thread. I know there have been extenuating circumstances on this run. We've still had a really good time, enjoying as much of the cruise as possible. Our room steward is fantastic, doing his job with a smile and a ton of great service (he's gonna get heavily tipped, even though I know he's already included in the daily Service Charges). Our cab drivers in Bermuda were amazing. There's a really cool bartender who works in the Casino and remembered my name and drink order immediately (also tipped). 

 

I don't regret booking this cruise one bit. It was a great price and the dates were perfect. 

 

One final thanks for all the advice given on this thread. If I'm being a downer, feel free to delete this. But I would want to know about this week, if I were planning an NCL Getaway Haven trip anytime soon. 

I have taken several NCL Suite and Haven cruises and one Yacht Club on MSC.  

On the NCL Sun there is no Haven but there are 20 suites and we opted for the large aft corner suite for a 14 night South American cruise.  
 

We had heard about a great butler on the Sun, Armando.   As each butler had 10 suites we knew we had a 50/50 chance.   But… no.  We drew the “new butler”.   We had no one to compare him to as this was our first suite cruise.  But I had done research and knew something was not right.  Some other suite pax also asked us about it.  We talked to a nice couple who said they did not know about afternoon snacks.   When I told them they could get a plate of cookies. Their eyes became as big as saucers.
 

But hey, we were on vacay, had a great 2 room suite, a bigggg balcony, which opened off the living room and bedroom, we loved Il Adagio for suite breakfast and lunch, we had a great steward and a fantastic concierge, Karen G.   
 

But what’s worse than a snarky butler you ask?   LOL.  How about one that gets off in one of the ports and keeps on going????

So… poor Armando.   They gave him a top steward to help him.  Like a junior butler.   
 

Guess what?   I redistributed our. Original guy’s tips amongst the others and this was still my favorite cruise, got to step foot on Antarctica!

Every cruise is different. We look back at this and figure ANY butler beats NO butler.  And everything else was incredible.  We got to have dinner with the Hotel Director, Brian Walters who was charming and so very interesting.  
 

We loved that ship, and that aft suite so much, we rebooked it for an 11 night Southern Caribbean, which we loved equally as well, and had a wonderful butler that time.  

On 3/30/2024 at 9:13 PM, Daniel A said:

@Battlement don't let a sub par butler queer you on the Haven. Give it another chance.   I just returned today from a week long trip to a resort DW and I just love.   We go there just about every year.   This year we made the mistake of going during spring break.   No college aged kids but it was a very different (and unpleasant for us) experience.   It was more the crowds and the type of guests that made it a different experience.   We will keep returning there in the future but not during spring break time.   My point is that if this was our first experience there, we would never plan to return there.  Try the Haven on a different ship next time.

I once cruised on the Jewel in an aft suite as it was my niece’s graduation present.  I was prepared for Spring Break crowds but was ASTOUNDED at how this cruise affected us positively.   There were lots of kids and so it seems like parents spent time with them.   I did not expect a near empty and (almost) smoke-free casino.  
 

it was a pleasurable week.  

Thanks for the update!   Enjoy!!!

Hello.   We all have reasons why we like to dine in our suites, or not.  We have certainly done this.  After a long port day I love having a nice soak, putting on my pjs and dining at my liesure.  I have never asked for course by course.  I love Le Bistro and have my favorites.  I always consider this a special treat and appreciate my butler doing it for me with an exra nice tip bump. 

2 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

This really bothers me.   

 

Not that they took care of your niece.   I think that's great and they should.   What bothers me is it seems so difficult to get my diabetic wife a sugar free dessert at the Haven restaurant.   The following are replies we've received when we asked.  Keep in mind that litterally EVERY other restaurant on the ship has sugar free/no sugar options available. 

 

-we only offer what's on the menu

-have you tried the buffet 

-we might have some fruit left over from breakfast 

-I don't understand 

-you should have contacted the special needs desk/pre-departure concierge (I had contacted both

-we don't have that because no one has ever asked

-you should tell your butler to get something and bring it to your room

-and just this morning I got an email saying it's up to the chef on board and I would need to discuss it with him

 

Yes, the Haven which claims you can customize things is not willing to go to the buffet/main dining room or anywhere else to get the sugar free dessert already on offer to others.   It's pretty frustrating and really just makes her feel bad for being a diabetic. This has happened on every single one of our cruises that had a Haven restaurant!  Ironically,  it's never been an issue on ships that didn't have a Haven restaurant when we asked at lunch. 

Wow.    I totally get you.   Both of my parents were diabetic.   So is my sister.  And my brother is too with many checks daily and insulin shots.  I am keto.  So, I heavily reduce my carbs and and no “real sugar”.   I have done lots of research and I have a pastry education as well as culinary and restaurant management.   But I do not use it professionally.  
 

My brother is an attorney in SC and goes out to high end restaurants.  His server asks if he wants dessert.   He asks if they have anything sugar free.  The answer is always no.  
 

It is the same here in Dallas.  
 

OPPORTUNITIES MISSED!

The cruise lines do too.  
 

What percentage of people for health or dietary needs or wants would choose a delicious alternative?

It is a shame.  
 

Restaurants - Cruise Lines… Get with it!  They could hire me. 

1 hour ago, joy walker said:

Regarding MDR meal requests -  We are vegetarian (no fish) so the Haven menu is very limited but, on the Breakaway  (March 2023),  the Maitre d met with me in the morning (or once the night before) and we could order from the MDR menu to be served in Haven.  That said the Haven food was so much better we often did A LOT of Haven sides as our meal.

My niece is VEGAN and both Jewel and Epic Haven and Specialty Restaurants treated her like a princess. 
 

Even daily snacks were catered to her.  Crudite and a tomato vinaigrette was one of them.  
 

I remember Le Bistro did a beautiful entree and desert for her.  
 

A gorgeous veggie stack with marinara and bruleed bananas with garnish.  Lovely. 

14 hours ago, VJWcruiser said:

Those regulations have been in place since 2021 and yet the cruise that sailed 2 weeks before could do the full cruise. That reason was one of the many reasons that were given. The first one they told the media was to enhance the guest experience in the Falklands. Of course everyone has a dream bucket list to the Falklands

 

Loved my visit to Stanley but the regularly scheduled time was enough to walk all around, talk to locals, see gnomes, eat some fish & chips, etc.  

However…to give up cruising Antarctica for a few more hours in Stanley is a joke!

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

The winds at Punta Arenas can be extreme. Was once there on another line a day we were stuck there for 5 hours after our planned departure because the winds were stronger than the side thrusters could safely maneuver away from the dock.

 

Missing one or more ports in that area not unusual for all of the lines. Especially Port Stanley.

I knew going into my 14 night SA cruise my excursion to Antarctica, by plane from Punta Arenas, was 50/50 at best.   Found out the two cruises before and one after did not get to go due to fog.   They land on a dirt runway.  
 

we made it to ALL of our ports including Ushuaia and Port Stanley.  
 

BUT, although it was calm when we got into Punta Arenas… leaving was a different story!!!  The tenders looked like the S.S. Minnow from Gilligan’s Island.  We we sitting on our aft balcony and watching people on the tender’s faces.  They were in terror.   We prayed.  We left port late but yes, we saw Mother Nature at her best and worst.  
 

This was my favorite cruise in my favorite suite on my favorite ship.  (Epic DOS a very close second.  Wink.)

On 2/16/2024 at 11:04 AM, Sinbadssailors said:

We just returned from an expedition cruise to Antarctica(last weekend) on Seabourn.

 

The problem with this NCL debacle is the same as always - a serious lack of communication. Not communicating the reasons for the change leads to speculation and anger.

 

So truly typical of NCL to not share the details. 

 

Our cruising speed was limited to 10 knots because of ice/safety(it IS late summer there, with a lot of drifting ice sheets and icebergs).

It's quite possible that NCL was planning on a speedier journey to Paradise Bay and simply couldn't do it at an imposed lower speed.

 

A letter in the cabin, followed by a geography presentation of the revised itinerary -- in the theater and broadcast on the TV --- would've been the correct way to handle it.

 

They should've treated it like the big deal it was/is to their paying passengers. Explain in detail and acknowledge the impact on this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not radio silence, like they've done something wrong and are afraid of questions.

 

BTW Antarctica is amazing, no matter how you see it - but 4 hours is not the same as 2 days.

Great post.  
 

so blessed to have been able to experience being able to visit Antarctica myself on an excursion while cruising SA.  ONCE IN A LIFETIME, for sure.   

OP, when you put out a question like this you need to know you will receive a myriad of feedback.  
 

As many have stated, bartenders may bend the rules, waiters may bend the rules, and certainly so have concierges and butlers.  This is where NCL’s discretion comes into play.   I have read many instances of these choices and I have had some bestowed to me even though I did not ask for them.  I AM SURE THE MOTIVATOR IS “TIPS”.
 

Everyone has their own moral compass and some of my family members roll their eyes when I show mine.  My BFF is my sis and we are a bit opposite.  LOL. 

Happy cruising to all.  
 

p.s.  I am that person who drives the speed limit and gets a lot of “birds” thrown at me. 

On 2/8/2024 at 4:29 PM, Asawi said:

Something I don't find odd at all! I'd say it's pretty common that employees has other sets of rules than guests/customers in workplaces.

And their home!

13 hours ago, MCMC100 said:

I’ve traveled with large groups over the years. Noticed that it’s often very difficult to control everyone’s schedule -particularly when children are introduced into the equation.  I’m wondering how many of these 5:30 pm MDR reservations for 14 turned into 6:30pm arrivals at the Manhattan Room-followed by shock and/or outrage that the banquet table for 14 was not immediately available
 

The issues raised here seem to be more akin to a first time cruiser with absolutely no idea of the how, when, what, where and why of cruising. If this trip was overseen by a “seasoned and very good travel agent” I’d be looking for a new travel agent. This list of grievances gives every appearance of having been created by someone who never sailed before and never asked anyone what to expect …..pool toys are not allowed because they spread bacteria, compensation for weather conditions are not reasonable, the boat sometimes rocks in the Atlantic Ocean, on occasion rain falls from the sky in the Caribbean, ships tend to dock when they arrive at the pier as opposed to idling offshore until 10am, passengers are not required to disembark at a port immediately upon arrival (you can enjoy breakfast and then get off; or sleep all day and never get off), the shopping venues on the NCL Escape are accurately pictured and described in NCL literature (and in a lifetime’s worth of video on YouTube), elevators are busier than the stairs at dinner time, it can be difficult to seat 14 people together in the MDR (especially when you don’t show up at your requested time)……the TA daughter was unfamiliar or unaware of these interesting and somewhat rudimentary cruise tidbits?

 

Don’t even get me started on the every meal was “never hotter than a bit above warm” complaint.  We are missing only “staff was rude” and “we waited an hour at every bar to get a drink” to achieve the CC imagined misery trifecta. 
 

NCL must be thrilled about one and done. They are apparently now RCCL or Carnival’s headache. 

Most astute post.  Well written and spot on.  Post of the day. 

Weather?  Elevators?  Geez.  
 

Not the OP specifically, but I have seen these kind of “groups”.  Maybe they need to charter a ship NCL carries more than just their group. 

I tip $10 per person per day for B and C and up that for any extraordinary requests.  
 

We tend to use the Concierge a lot and have had great ones.  Karen and Hanno especially.  We enjoyed our interactions so much.  
 

Funny, when we were in the DOS on Epic the Concierges interaction was minimal.  But oh Maxi our Butler was incredible and we added to his tip.  

We have also found our room stewards when in a suite is probably an escalated situation.   They seem to be senior stewards.  We always feel they deserve extra over the auto-gratuity. 

I do realize every ship / every sailing is different but… here are some comments:

I was a long-time NCL Haven and suite cruiser when I tried MSC.  

On MSC YC I was provided Thermal suite perk.  I loved it.  It was quiet and relaxing. Got a ceramic heated lounger any time I went. 
 

On NCL Epic in DOS the 3 of us bought the Thermal pass.  We hated it.  It was loud and packed.  Over a week waited and finally got a heated thermal lounger one time.  Never got a day bed.  Hot tubs were “party central” with drunks.  
 

On MSC I thought I bought wi-fi.  It was fine.  
 

On NCL I did buy wifi several times just to stay connected and once for niece who was studying. 

10 hours ago, dexddd said:

As noted, no, only for charge.  One trip first words out from butler.

Wow.  Second words might be okay.  But GEEZ. 

14 hours ago, Faulkh said:

Thank for for the review of aft rooms much appreciated. Your words are definitely swaying me to the aft

There really is something special about an aft suite.   Especially at night.  It is magical.  

17 hours ago, david_sobe said:

Yes!  One of my favorite suite experiences was on the Sky and they have no Haven.  The Sky used to have a port intensive itinerary so a Haven may not have been used that much anyway.  But it was the red carpet personal service that blew me away.  The concierge would personally visit you at breakfast and come to your cabin every night.  It was a level of service that I never experienced again because there are so few suites and the concierge caters to you.  On Epic in 2010 the Haven crew was outstanding.  They knew your name from the first day and greeted you by your name every day.  These bigger new ships dont have the same concierge level of service.  Even the reviews of the Prima and Viva state they dont care to know you at all. 

On our first Sun in aft PH the concierge was Kare Goedke.  She came to our suite at least once a day.  Sometimes she would stay and chat for over an hour, especially with my mom, who was very charismatic.  
 

Karen also seemed to show up whenever we dined in a specialty restaurant for dinner, which was often, just to check on us.  
 

Ironically, that was the same cruise our novice butler got off in one of the ports and kept going.  He really was not very good at it but we go with the flow.  And Karen made up for it. 

On 5/19/2023 at 7:29 PM, wil e coyote said:

Your butler will deliver food from the standard room service menu or any of the restaurants on board, as long as they are open. As Two Wheels said, there is only a charge if you're ordering from a specialty restaurant and not using a dining credit.

Just so there is no confusion, this is only available in the Haven. If you're anywhere else on the ship, you are restricted to the room service menu in your cabin, and there is a $9.95 service charge.

To clarify, had several meals in aft PH on the Sun with no Haven on the ship at all.  The Sun only has 20 suites in total.  Out South American cruise was 14 nights with long port days so we loved dining in the suite.  I was with my mom so we cared little about being served in courses.  She was tired after a long day.  
 

we did more specialty than not since there is no Haven restaurant for dinner, only breakfast in lunch in what used to be called Il Adagio. 
 

Also, had one served aft PH on Jewel.