pcakes122

You'll notice once you cruise in the Haven that you have a doorbell, so no knocking required! Also the Haven butler will set your table with a table cloth, silverware, flowers, etc. If you are standing there watching him/her, they tend to feel rushed because they don't want to make you wait. (In fact, sometimes in order to prevent you from waiting they will skip all the fancy stuff and just put the food directly on the table.) I prefer to let them work in peace without anyone standing over their shoulder & get all the bells and whistles! 😊 But then again, I'm Princess Margaret 😁👸, so you do you! 👍🏻

Nope! You just let the butler know that you want breakfast at a certain time (say 8 a.m.) and he/she shows up. It's amazing! They don't sneak in or crawl across the floor or anything like that (maybe they could do that upon request, but I don't need that.) They just open the door and walk in and bring the tray of food. They put it down on the table and then they leave. Sometimes the sound of them coming in will wake you up, but if not you can let them know to wake you up before they leave and they will!!! ( Otherwise your coffee will get cold!) I know this sounds like something some people have never heard of before in your life, but believe me it's true!! PS I've never had a butler do anything creepy, but again you could probably request that if that's what you are looking for. Mine are boring and just deliver food. Hope this helps! 😊

Not a real Princess but I am loving being called this! 😊💗👸 I am even thinking of changing my CC name LOL (not kidding 😂) What can I tell you? I love pampering and I wear my crown proudly 🤷‍♀️👑 I also (really!) utilize my Haven butler for packing and unpacking. I'm sure the folks on this thread will have a field day with that one! Enjoy! 😂

Happens every cruise for me and for others on this forum. Use the search bar and you'll see. Everybody enjoys different things on a cruise. I personally don't drink, but I know a lot of people do a lot of drinking (and overeating) on cruises. However, I don't criticize them because I don't feel compelled to publicly criticize anything that other people do that doesn't impact me personally.

You forgot to add Group #4 - people who tell others that they should NOT be upset or even be posting about their situation when they are clearly just venting. (Especially when we know if it happened to THEM it would be a COMPLETELY different story 😂. )

I think most replies were that they actually shouldn't be upset and that they should consider it an "upgrade" of sorts. Of course I think they should go & enjoy the cruise, but I just wanted them to feel validated that not everyone agrees that they should just accept it without question. The person who paid for the Haven but won't be able to stay there I'm sure is bummed right now. I know I definitely would be. At least you also acknowledge that it is a bad situation.

If you are OK with paying for a Haven room and sleeping in a balcony, that's great for you. Not sure I understand why you would want to do that, but it's your choice. I just would expect some sort of discount if it happened to me, so I don't think that the original poster is off base at all in expecting that.

How do you have the exact same experience if you are in a balcony cabin? For example, one of my favorite Haven features is having the butler quietly set the table for breakfast with a white tablecloth, hot, fresh French press coffee and warm almond croissants while I am still sleeping - and then waking me on his way out. Awesome vacation experience. Not happening while you are sleeping on a balcony. Different story if there was some financial compensation. But for the same price?? Not the same service at all.

I would like the people who DONT think this is a problem to explain that. Butler service is the number one Haven perk to me. Losing that alone would be cause for a discount, in my opinion. Also, since when do we only pay for the first two people in the Haven? Please sign me up for that. I was comped a Deluxe Owner's Suite on the Bliss from the casino (first two people) and had to pay $6,000 to add passengers 3 and 4. Despite my comp, if NCL told me that passenger 3 or 4 had to go sleep in a balcony cabin, I definitely would not have just let that go. Seriously? People think this is acceptable?

I agree with this, and I think (hope!) that @Sthrngaryknows how much I appreciate his countless contributions to this forum! But my hesitance to tip upfront also comes from an experience with a butler on NCL. Only once did I offer a tip on embarkation day and that was only because there was significant furniture rearranging that had to be done to accommodate a piece of medical equipment I had with me. I know how busy the butlers are on that first day and I just felt so appreciative that he had gone out of his way to take the time to care for this unusual request. Before he left my cabin, I handed him a $50 bill and by the look on his face I could tell immediately that I had definitely done something wrong. He looked very insulted and actually handed it back to me and said "no, this is not necessary." I told him I didn't mean to offend him but I just wanted to show him I appreciated him. He told me that when the cruise was over was the time for that. He seriously deserved that tip, but I felt terrible for insulting him. He had done something very kind and helpful for another human being, and I handed him cash like dismissing a servant. It hurt his feelings and it was evident. From that point on, I have always tipped only at the end of the cruise, AND only in a proper "thank you" card inside of which I have written a very sincere note of appreciation (calling out specific things the butler has done to made my trip so special.) That said, I'm sure many (maybe even most!) butlers appreciate advance tips and don't care whether or not they are wrapped in toilet paper. However, I don't ever want to take a chance again - like I did that one time - of insulting someone very thoughtful and sensitive who might potentially take my gesture the wrong way.

I agree. I also think it's a little degrading and insulting, as if people are implying that butlers are only motivated by money and need to see $$$ to be inspired or encouraged to do a good job. Most butlers I have met are proud of the work they do and seem primarily motivated by the desire to deliver a great experience to their guests. Also maybe it's my age/generation showing, but it also has a smarmy, condescending feel to me like "do a good job and there's more where that came from" (or in other words "I hold the power in this relationship".) I always tip at the end (night before debarkation.)

As others have said, service and how much you utilize butler, Concierge and room steward services should drive how much you tip. The bigger discussion is that many people who are in the Haven for the first time don't really know what their options are in terms of services - which is why guides like @Sthrngary's are a great resource. In my opinion, the greatest benefit of the Haven and butler service is being able to design a personalized vacation. Once you are aware of all of the services offered/available, you can pick and choose what works for you and then tip accordingly. For example, folks talk alot about the daily snacks. Personally, the first thing I tell my butler is NO snacks (and that the casino or NCL/Captain may also want to send something but don't bring it.) I travel solo and am a very light, picky eater and all of those snacks would go to waste on me. On the other hand, others may enjoy tables stacked with snack & treats and that's great, too. I utilize the butler for packing and unpacking - many would say they'd never do that - also ok! I eat most of my meals in my cabin - but I only eat one full meal a day and it's usually midday (so no dinner.) Other folks may have their meals delivered but eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. And so on with all the many other services offered - it varies widely from person to person! That is why it is very hard for anyone to give an "appropriate" tip amount (and what leads to all the debates lol). My recommendation is that you read a guide like Gary's (and others) on this forum to learn ALL the possibilities, decide what services you want to use to design YOUR perfect vacation, discuss your preferences with your butler and then tip based on that. Have a great cruise!

Me three!

@mking8288No channel 12 - but almost home is right! It's 10PM and we are 133 miles from New York (doing 19 knots.) If they would drop me off at the Jersey shore I could sleep in my own bed tonight 😂 Have a great weekend!

This was exactly my thought since it seems that there has been a lot of Covid on the Joy this month! 😳 I've been masking the whole time and have been hiding out in the Haven. I have not gone near the buffet, Atrium, theater or other crowded venues. Well, except the casino LOL. But even there I was the crazy lady wiping down every machine I used with disinfectant wipes. 😂 The Gem was fine in December, but with heightened cases in NYC and on this ship, I'm being super cautious. (Been there, done that already having Covid on a cruise ship!)

Yes. The captain probably didn't buy the internet package. He really needs to start staying in touch!

We arrived in Bermuda on May 25th, so there's that. NCL didn't state it was a Bermuda requirement, but we definitely had to retest.

I think you missed the part where I said I am on the Joy right now, so no.

Tier level has nothing to do with how much $$$ you have "dropped" (spent). Tier level is based on points earned which is how much $$$ you have cycled through the machines. If you are winning, you can earn lots and lots of points without spending hardly any money. Tier level also has NOTHING to do with with theo (which is what comps are based on.) Tier levels ONLY determine onboard PERKS (not free cruises.) Talking about tier levels and comp cruises in the same discussion just confuses people. (And encourages newbies to chase tier points thinking it will result in comp cruises.)

WRONG. The ONLY guests required to test again onboard are those who disembarked in Virginia. (I'm on the Joy now.)

Distilled water may be easy to get, but not the missing cushion (which is the OP's problem.)

In order to be fully approved you need to revisit the site (that's the reminder email 4-days prior to booking they are referring to) to upload your negative TEST RESULTS (can't do that more than 2 days before embarkation.) If you do not do that, you will be granted a "provisional approval" to BOARD the ship, but you will NOT be able to get off in Bermuda until you have fully completed the required documentation (negative Covid test results uploaded) and that documentation has been reviewed and approved. So, no benefit in waiting and boarding with a "provisional" approval - it will just cause you to have to frantically get a test onboard (is that even possible?) and upload your documents to the Bermuda site via ship WiFi while onboard - then WAIT for approval. Much easier and saner to do it all in advance. I think the "provisional approval" process is really about Bermuda not having enough folks available to do the approvals prior to boarding with the increase in ship passenger capacity - so they are not going to deny people boarding for that reason. It's not intended to give cruisers more time. (At least not the way I see it.)

I believe I read in a recent post that Arvin & Emily (singers) are now performing on the Joy. If this is true, I would be super grateful to anyone that can ask them if they will be on board through May. Thanks so much! 😊