Questions - thinking of booking Haven, Help appreciated

[axelskater]

I was thinking of booking a "Haven" level suite and I have never sailed on Norwegian and was hoping someone could help with a few questions.

 

I noticed there is a separate restaurant for Haven guests...Do they encourage or allow off-menu ordering, such as if I wanted wild mushroom risotto one night, could I pre order it at lunch? Can you randomly order flambé desserts such as crepes suzette, or is this a strictly by-the-menu operation?

 

Does the Haven lounge offer cocktails or evening entertainment such as a pianist?

 

Do you have to pay for bottled water or sodas in your suite?

 

In regards to the rest of the ship, there seems to be a large number of places where you are expected to pay extra money to dine - are they worthwhile? I'm not a room service person but I was curious as to whether some of these restaurants are better than regular dining. On the NCL website it states the concierge/ butler will book your spots, but then I see people mentioning they fill up and are completely booked so I am curious as to how this operation works. Thanks for any advice. I was thinking about next year but am still unsure - need to do some major research!

 

Finally - Can anyone describe the entertainment on board in the lounges? Is there any ballroom dancing, big band, or even a jazz trio or pianist? Really not much "brochure" info on any of this....

 

Sailed

Oct 2004 - Queen Mary 2

Dec 2005 - Queen Mary 2

Dec 2006- Queen Mary 2

May 2006 - Queen Mary 2

Dec 2007 - Queen Mary 2

Dec 2008 - Queen Mary 2

July 2008 - Queen Mary 2

Dec 2009 - Queen Mary 2

Dec 2010 - Queen Mary 2

Sept 2011 - Queen Mary 2

Sept 2013 - Queen Mary 2

Jan 2014 - Disney Magic - just to break out of the rut!

BOOKED

May 2015 - Queen Mary 2

[Fishbait17]

A lot of what you are asking is dependent on which ship you book. On the Epic, Breakaway, and Getaway there is an entirely separate dining room for Haven guests. On other ships with a Haven, there is no dedicated restaurant - they use one of the dinner restaurants to serve breakfast and lunch only to all suite guests (not just Haven guests). I have never ordered off menu for these restaurants, but a few on here have (like a BLT for lunch, etc). I wouldn't say they "encourage" it, but if they have the means to make what you might want, I'm sure they'd comply.

 

Again, the lounge depends on what ship you are booking. None of the lounges offer cocktails for free, they work like any regular bar. the new ships have a truly dedicated lounge in the Haven, I've never seen any entertainment there in my travels but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. The older ships offer no "Haven Lounge" but they do sometimes close off the "Star Bar" during daytime hours (it's usually open to everyone at night) for suite guests only (not just Haven guests). This might change, as they are redoing that area starting this week on the Jewel, and we're not sure that the Star Bar will still exist. Definitely no entertainment in the Star Bar on these older ships presently.

 

Every suite except for Owner's Suite, Deluxe Owner's Suite, and Three Bedroom Garden Villas has to pay for the sodas and water in their suite (one bottle of water is included in all suites). The big three get unlimited sodas and bottled water.

 

I would definitely say that the Soecialty restaurants are better in quality and service than the main dining rooms - that's why they cost extra! But plenty of people are perfectly happy with both the food and the service in the free dining venues.

 

Can't help you with the lounges. I will say that every night while wandering any ship, there are always pianists, lounge singers, guitar players, etc, scattered throughout the lounges and different venues, depending on which ship.

 

Robin

Edited May 13, 2014 by Fishbait17

[nycmode]

Above post sums it up.

 

I may only offer some color in that the Haven restaurant on the Breakaway was excellent. Even though they serve the same breakfast/lunch/dinner menus throughout the cruise, I found the food there to be excellent and better than anything I had in the MDR.

 

And yes - you can order "off menu" as long as it's something they can get from another kitchen. I wouldn't say you can ask them to make something from scratch that's not really on their overall menu list. You can also ask for companion items, such as when we asked for some fruit and dates for breakfast. They grabbed it for us from the Garden Cafe and brought it up along with the rest of our breakfast that was from the menu.

[Granny DI]

We enjoyed the Haven on the Breakaway, booked it again for next year. Noticed OP has sailed a lot on the QM2......thinking the Breakaway may not be for the OP. We sailed the Qm2 once....24 day cruise and at day 17 we were ready to jump ship.....too formal for us. We're not the ballroom dancing type....more the "Rock of Ages" type.

[SissasMomE]

We enjoyed the Haven on the Breakaway, booked it again for next year. Noticed OP has sailed a lot on the QM2......thinking the Breakaway may not be for the OP. We sailed the Qm2 once....24 day cruise and at day 17 we were ready to jump ship.....too formal for us. We're not the ballroom dancing type....more the "Rock of Ages" type.

 

NCL is not an upscale cruise line by any means. The OP may not enjoy NCL - I agree with you!

[Vyhanek]

I wouldn't say ordering off menu was really appreciated at all.

 

On the Epic, I asked a few different servers for some simple off menu items. One actually was when I was in the Epic Club, if I could order something from the Epic Grill menu. I wanted the Swordfish and Arugula sandwich I had the day before.....(the Epic Grill is literally on the other side of the sliding door from the Epic Club and the two restaurants must certainly share the same kitchen sort of restaurant - they are that connected!!)...... I was given a blank stare and then an ...OMG sort of look and then a...."I'll have to ask my Supervisor". But it was arranged and was fine. My point is that it really isn't done that much or the servers would be easily able to accommodate such a request.

 

Another time, same ship, same restaurant, dinner at the Epic Club. I asked if I could order Escargot from Le Bistro. I was told I could do that but we'd have to order in a package of 4 and it would be....$20 (can't remember what the exact price was but I think they said $20). This is after the server checked with her Supervisor. My husband and children aren't escargot eaters and I didn't think I could eat all 4 so, that didn't work out for me.

 

So my point is, perhaps all these other cruisers who have stories about how you can just ask for anything up in the Haven and it will appear......it's not really that easy. They are accommodating, very much so but in my experience it's only within their ability. They don't have the authority to go to the Teppenyaki Restaurant for some Green Tea Cake for me for dessert......(which I really wanted one night). There is pressure to order one of the 4 dessert items that have been on the menu in the Epic Club all week and not ask for too much off menu.

 

The menu at the Epic Club does not change at all except for a nightly special. All other items (and there aren't even a lot of items maybe 6 entree choices) remain the same all week.

 

Don't let this deter you though. You can eat for free any night in several restaurants on the ship. If free food is your primary issue and is what you really are looking for, you will find it. Book the Haven. It is a wonderful experience. it was worth every penny and it made the vacation really special.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Vyhanek

[barnacle_boy]

Just for some perspective, I have done many cruises on QM2, including several month long itineraries, before becoming a fairly regular NCL cruiser.

 

Cunard and NCL are very different products. NCL's ships don't have elaborate ballrooms like QM2's Queens Room. Occasionally there's dancing in the main dining rooms of NCL's newest ships, but those dance floors are pitifully small by comparison, and the musical accompaniment is usually no more than several percussionists and a keyboardist. There's no big band night, but it's just as well considering there's no place to have one anyway.

 

There are musicians scattered throughout NCL's ships who play a variety of different genres. One any given night on a Jewel Class ship, you could hear a pianist playing jazz standards in Bar City (think QM2's Grand Lobby with a staircase, but the lower level is surrounded by bars with ample seating), and a guitarist and keyboardist playing 70's pop hits in the Atrium. Epic and Breakaway have Jazz/Blues clubs, but they are heavy on the Blues. Getaway has a Grammy Experience that features fine musical talent, but they've only had Latin Jazz artists, and the next few scheduled are all Blues and Soul artists. It's not necessarily the sort of Jazz you'd hear on QM2.

 

Entertainment is also very different. NCL provides excellent shows, some of which are taken directly from Broadway. Dancing and singing are of a much higher caliber, and some of the shows even feature spectacular acrobatics. Cunard is unapologetically dull by comparison, but this is perfectly fine for most of their elderly British clientele.

 

Dining is a bit more varied. The Haven Restaurant is certainly a contender against Cunard's Queens Grill in terms of quality, if not quantity and range of options. It stays the same throughout the cruise, so there's no variety. Cunard prides themselves with their ability to accommodate any off-menu requests in the Queens Grill, given enough advance notice and assuming all the ingredients are onboard. NCL certainly doesn't advertise or claim as much, but they are usually willing to accommodate off-menu requests so long as it is within their ability to do so. Again, advance notice can make a difference in what can be available to you. Flambé is not offered in the Haven, and they certainly don't have the equipment to do it table side. I'm sure you could ask and see what happens, but I don't believe it's offered anywhere else onboard either.

 

The quality of the food in NCL's speciality restaurants is more comparable with what Cunard offers in their main dining rooms. While NCL's main dining room food is perfectly acceptable, it's definitely a cut below what Cunard offers. The prices for the speciality restaurants are probably worthwhile considering how low the ticket fares are. Reservations are easy. Concierges rarely have trouble making reservations for the time you request.

 

Occasionally there's a pianists who plays in Epic's Haven Lounge as passengers mingle before dinner, but the Haven Lounges on Breakaway and Getaway are too small to have a piano, and the Jewel Class don't have any lounge space dedicated to the Haven at all. The ships that do have lounges also have a bar, but cocktails are not included. Unless you're in a top suite categories (Garden Villa, Owner's Suite), the water and soda in your suite isn't included either.

Edited May 14, 2014 by barnacle_boy

[axelskater]

:oThank you Thank you Thank you all so much!!

The different classes of ship are a bit confusing, I know many lines have these - for instance, I remember RCCL having Vision class, Voyager class, etc. but the gist to me I guess is that the newer ships have the more dedicated areas.

 

I also appreciate those of you who also have sailed QM2 clarifying the off menu. In the PG/QG, the maître 'd comes around at lunch to see if you'd like anything special for dinner, prepared tableside etc. Even when I didn't order them, they insisted on making assorted flambé desserts just because they knew I loved them. Dessert was my favorite time of day :)

 

I really also appreciate the entertainment comments! My husband and I are almost always the youngest on board Cunard, but if we didn't have the ballroom dancing every night, and the piano bars I think we might be disappointed. However, this trip would be for my mom & I, so the very good theater shows will be more important to her than ballroom dancing every night. I think my mom might like the variation offered by NCL. I will be honest and say I think if I book I will have to temper my own expectations, but I will go in with a fun open mind and explore all the "specialty" restaurants and shows they have to offer.

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Sounds like you may like a Garden Villa. It would give you more of the luxuries you may be accustomed to from the queen Mary 2.

[BuffetPantsPls]

Sounds like you may like a Garden Villa. It would give you more of the luxuries you may be accustomed to from the queen Mary 2.

 

from the QM2 description it just sounds like the garden villa would simply be a larger room with the same ol' stuff =)