1st Time NCL & Haven - Questions

[alishac]

We will be taking our first NCL cruise in June on the Getaway in an S9 Spa Haven Suite and are super excited. As a first time NCL cruiser I have lots of questions that I hope some of you can help with. I'm sorry if some of these have been asked and answered in the past.

 

1. What a la carte dining is open on embarkation day (noodle bar, wasabi, raw bar, etc)?

2. I've heard many people say that if you dine in a specialty restaurant on the first night you get a free bottle of wine. Is this pretty standard or does it depend on the sailing? Is it for any of the specialty restaurants other than Ocean Blue?

3. This is our first time in a suite. Other than bringing food and drinks, what exactly does a butler do for you? Has anyone had their butler unpack for them?

4. I think I heard there is reserved seating in the theatre for Haven guests. Is this true? Does this mean we don't have to make reservations for the shows or show up super early?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Fishbait17]

I haven't been on the Getaway yet (not many people have), but will try to answer as best I can from experience on her sister ship, the Breakaway.

 

1). I'm not sure any ala carte dining is open before you leave port, but then again, I've never checked. For lunch, you will be escorted to the Haven Restaurant upon embarkation and can dine there if you wish (or you can wander, eat at the buffet, eat in the main dining room, etc). Once you set sail, the ala carte places will be open.

 

2). This is totally dependent on the ship, and even the particular sailing, or even the dining hour. We always eat in specialties the first night and don't remember ever being offered a free bottle of wine,

 

3). The butler will pretty much handle everything you might want in the suite and oversee your steward. For example, if you want lots of ice, or movies delivered, or a corkscrew for your wine, etc, he will bring it. Very few people ask the butler to unpack for them from (its not something i would ever dream of asking). If you can imagine a butler having many suites to take care of, and all the duties he has on embarkation day (greeting, getting to know his passengers, teaching about the coffee machine etc) he is very busy that particular day, and he might not get to it until much, much later (if everyone asked, he might not get to it until the next day!). There's a lot of talk about not wanting him to handle intimates or knowing where things are placed, etc. The people I recall asking for the unpacking service were those who needed extra care (elderly, physically limited, etc). That's not to say you cannot ask for the service, just be prepared to be flexible with time and to tip very well for this above and beyond service. Of course, this is only my opinion, but I'm sure there are others who feel similarly.

 

4). The Getaway is not like a typical ship with shows every night in one theater, etc, so things are handled differently. There are limited shows in smaller theaters with very limited seating, and some shows share the same theater. So you need to have a reservation to guarantee you a seat for any show that takes reservations, even if you are a Haven guest. Haven seating is handled differently for different shows. For Illusionarium, you will meet in a group with the concierge about an hour before the show. The concierge will escort you to the theater, where you will be seated before they open the doors for "regular" seating. For Legally Blond (and other Main Theater shows), there will be a Haven section roped off until about 15 minutes prior to the show. You will check in at the door, where they will confirm your reservation, and then you can sit in the Haven section or anywhere else. For other shows, like late night comedy shows (again, remembering the Breakaway), dueling pianos, the blues club, etc, there is no Haven seating and you will be seated based on your position in line.

 

Robin

Edited February 19, 2014 by Fishbait17

[alishac]

I haven't been on the Getaway yet (not many people have), but will try to answer as best I can from experience on her sister ship, the Breakaway.

 

1). I'm not sure any ala carte dining is open before you leave port, but then again, I've never checked. For lunch, you will be escorted to the Haven Restaurant upon embarkation and can dine there if you wish (or you can wander, eat at the buffet, eat in the main dining room, etc). Once you set sail, the ala carte places will be open.

 

2). This is totally dependent on the ship, and even the particular sailing, or even the dining hour. We always eat in specialties the first night and don't remember ever being offered a free bottle of wine,

 

3). The butler will pretty much handle everything you might want in the suite and oversee your steward. For example, if you want lots of ice, or movies delivered, or a corkscrew for your wine, etc, he will bring it. Very few people ask the butler to unpack for them from (its not something i would ever dream of asking). If you can imagine a butler having many suites to take care of, and all the duties he has on embarkation day (greeting, getting to know his passengers, teaching about the coffee machine etc) he is very busy that particular day, and he might not get to it until much, much later (if everyone asked, he might not get to it until the next day!). There's a lot of talk about not wanting him to handle intimates or knowing where things are placed, etc. The people I recall asking for the unpacking service were those who needed extra care (elderly, physically limited, etc). That's not to say you cannot ask for the service, just be prepared to be flexible with time and to tip very well for this above and beyond service. Of course, this is only my opinion, but I'm sure there are others who feel similarly.

 

4). The Getaway is not like a typical ship with shows every night in one theater, etc, so things are handled differently. There are limited shows in smaller theaters with very limited seating, and some shows share the same theater. So you need to have a reservation to guarantee you a seat for any show that takes reservations, even if you are a Haven guest. Haven seating is handled differently for different shows. For Illusionarium, you will meet in a group with the concierge about an hour before the show. The concierge will escort you to the theater, where you will be seated before they open the doors for "regular" seating. For Legally Blond (and other Main Theater shows), there will be a Haven section roped off until about 15 minutes prior to the show. You will check in at the door, where they will confirm your reservation, and then you can sit in the Haven section or anywhere else. For other shows, like late night comedy shows (again, remembering the Breakaway), dueling pianos, the blues club, etc, there is no Haven seating and you will be seated based on your position in line.

 

Robin

 

Thanks, that is very helpful. I had no idea there was reserved seating for the Illusionarium. This makes me happy as this is the show we are most looking forward to and really want great seats!

[SMerritt]

On our Breakaway Cruise in September and our Epic Cruise a few weeks ago, we received a free bottle of wine the first night out, dining in Cagney's:)

 

You can drink it with dinner or take it back to your suite. I do not know if this is on every cruise, or every ship.

 

Also, look for VIP Check-In after going through security on embarkation day, and your concierge is available to escort you off the ship on disembarkation day

 

Priority show seating is worth the price of a Haven Suite alone!

 

Have a GREAT Cruise!

Edited February 19, 2014 by SMerritt

[L3GWG]

Really you want someone to unpack for you !!! I don't care if it is offered on the web site why would you ask another human being to unpack

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[gizfish]

Really you want someone to unpack for you !!! I don't care if it is offered on the web site why would you ask another human being to unpack

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Goodness, the OP asked about unpacking, not having the butler wipe their butt. Personally I would want to pack and unpack my own things. But, it is one of a butler's jobs to deal with that type of thing, should a person like to take advantage of that job function. People who book the Haven are paying a premium for the service of the butler and concierge, not just for the real estate. I am sure many are thinking why would one want to eat every single meal in the Haven restaurant. But, that too is a perk that some may want to take advantage of. No need to bite their head off just because they may be comfortable with something you are not comfortable with.

[JohnIreland]

Really you want someone to unpack for you !!! I don't care if it is offered on the web site why would you ask another human being to unpack

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Unpacking (on request) is one of listed duties for the butler.

[Love my butler]

Really you want someone to unpack for you !!! I don't care if it is offered on the web site why would you ask another human being to unpack

 

Because it's an available perk bought and paid for.

[SMerritt]

Unpacking (on request) is one of listed duties for the butler.

 

Yup John - on the list

 

Many times our Butler has delivered our luggage and OFFERED to unpack our bags.

 

Would be nice, but prefer to do it on my own.....I guess it is for people that have "people". Not uncommon in some circles

[Dakota10]

Piggy backing on this with a couple of questions about the Suite life.. We just upgraded to the same cabin level for our cruise on the Getaway in a few months.. So excited. We've never done anything like this, so it's definitely a luxury for us.. Have I mentioned we are excited? :)

 

I saw on the website that their is a coffee/expresso machine in the suite.. Does anyone know if it has tea capacity?? I am a tea snob and proud of it, ha ha.. Drink tons of tea while at home and have the fancy tea pot, but when desperate I can settle for a decent tea bag, so if I bring tea bags with me, would it be possible to make them in our suite?? I know they have tea onboard, but on the Pearl a few years back it was the typical, standard, blah tea, so in other words, nothing I really choose to drink..

 

The Haven Dining Room.. We booked the dining package, so dinners will be in the Signature Dining Rooms, but is the Haven DR crowded or empty at breakfast and/or lunch??? Hubby is worried about being bored with the Suite life (I have no such worries) and doesn't want to feel so isolated..

 

 

Thanks so much.. Happy Cruising! :)

[Love my butler]

Piggy backing on this with a couple of questions about the Suite life.. We just upgraded to the same cabin level for our cruise on the Getaway in a few months.. So excited. We've never done anything like this, so it's definitely a luxury for us.. Have I mentioned we are excited? :)

 

I saw on the website that their is a coffee/expresso machine in the suite.. Does anyone know if it has tea capacity?? I am a tea snob and proud of it, ha ha.. Drink tons of tea while at home and have the fancy tea pot, but when desperate I can settle for a decent tea bag, so if I bring tea bags with me, would it be possible to make them in our suite?? I know they have tea onboard, but on the Pearl a few years back it was the typical, standard, blah tea, so in other words, nothing I really choose to drink..

 

The Haven Dining Room.. We booked the dining package, so dinners will be in the Signature Dining Rooms, but is the Haven DR crowded or empty at breakfast and/or lunch??? Hubby is worried about being bored with the Suite life (I have no such worries) and doesn't want to feel so isolated..

 

 

Thanks so much.. Happy Cruising! :)

 

Yes, the coffee machine also makes tea. It also makes hot water if you need that. Haven restaurant is usually not crowded at all.

[Fishbait17]

The coffee maker not only makes tea from pods, it's also can distribute hot water (not boiling but good) and you can ask your butler for a tea box that has a decent selection of bags. The pods for the machine include regular tea, green tea, and chamomile (they aren't great). I haven't used a tea box in a while, but I recall Earl Grey, English Breakfast Tea, etc. I bring along my organic Green and some herbal mixes.

 

The Haven DR crowd level will vary depending on day. Lunch on a port day will be very empty, lunch on sea days more crowded. Breakfast on an 8am port day will have more people at 7:30 than at 9:00, but on a sea day the guests will be more spread out timewise. Probably the most crowded is embarkation day, when they steer every suite guest to the Haven while their room is being prepared. We don't do much daytime dining in the restaurant, it it's never been really crowded.

 

Robin

Edited February 20, 2014 by Fishbait17

[psac]

Goodness, the OP asked about unpacking, not having the butler wipe their butt.

 

Is that an available perk???

 

We are paying a lot after all! :D

[Love my butler]

Is that an available perk???

 

We are paying a lot after all! :D

 

What happens in your suite between you and your butler stays in your suite.....

[alishac]

Thanks for the responses, and thanks to those who defended my question about unpacking. I really don't understand why people feel the need to get on here and freak out and make negative comments about other people's questions. Cruise Critic should be fun, sheesh.:rolleyes:

[msmom1365]

Thanks for the responses, and thanks to those who defended my question about unpacking. I really don't understand why people feel the need to get on here and freak out and make negative comments about other people's questions. Cruise Critic should be fun, sheesh.:rolleyes:

I totally agree! How rude!.. and totally NONE of his business. And besides, maybe the person asking might have special needs. Don't judge...

[kcwingwalker]

I can understand why someone would be tempted to have the butler unpack for them. For most of us it's probably a once in a lifetime experience, certainly would be for me. I don't have "people" and if I did they would be out in my backyard battling the invasion of thistle we have this spring.