WTH! Haven Restuarant CLOSED our entire sailing!

[beerman2]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Dgius it's a shame that you felt like you had to explain yourself.  You are completely within your right to feel disappointed without having to justify your reasons for booking a Haven category.  I book the Haven because I like the premium experience.  I don't have mobility issues at this point in my life.  I do it because I can afford it and I like it.  If that makes me a snob in the eyes of people I've never met, so be it.  Regarding your mobility issues, you might consider discussing this with your butler or the concierge who can likely arrange for you to get to a restaurant of your choice via private or service elevator.  I hope you enjoy your cruise.

Without knowing the whole story/situation it does make a Huge difference. By the OP stating they have mobility issue makes all the diffence in the world. It becomes a legitimate complaint.

 

Now we can completely understand their issue with restaurant being closed.

 

As has been mentioned many times their butler and or concierge can see that the OP doesn't have to leave the Haven area.

[Outerdog]

8 hours ago, Dgius said:

Wow this thread has really taken some mean spirited turns.  I was the original poster and so much is being assumed that there is some of kind of snoberly involved in the decison to book into the Haven and my angst about the restaurant closure.  So let me just state some facts for a second.   We book into the Haven because we have mobility/disability issues and having the restaurant just a few feet from our room is necessary.  We can stay up in this small enclave and get all our needs met without having to move around very much.  We can also enjoy the observation lounge, near our room.  It is  ideal for us as a vacation given our limitations. Now that the restaurant is closed,  having to navigate down to Cagneys twice a day and also to the specialty restaurant is very challenging and daunting!!  It has really thrown a bit of a wrench into our plans and expectations.  I appreciate those of you who have been supportive with your ideas and suggestions.   We are going to make lemonade and just figure it out when we get there tomorrow morning but I would caution folks about jumping to conclusions about why folks book up into the Haven area.   

 

You know, if you had started your thread with this tone, rather than all the !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and CAPS and all of that stuff, it... would have been... better.

 

Just sayin'.

 

I agree with you though. You book the Haven, you pay for Haven, you want Haven. It's that simple.

 

Enjoy your time.

Edited September 7, 2019 by Outerdog

[Victorious8]

12 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

I have to give you credit...I've never seen anyone try to equate the function of a butler to that of a hotel director before.

 

 

FWIW...you don't have to "have a butler" to be educated enough to know what they do. Even poor people can know what a butler does. Money is not a requirement for knowledge.

Says the guy who doesn't understand the student loan crisis... 

[Victorious8]

I mean I would be upset too, but I hope you have a wonderful trip and a chance to really enjoy all of the meals. Please report back how it went. 

Edited September 7, 2019 by Victorious8
Typo

[newmexicoNita]

20 hours ago, Mr Smarty said:

Entirely a first world problem and nothing more.  Get over it and enjoy your cruise.  Talk about an entitled spoiled attitude!  Jebus Christy!

 

oh so right you are: for some the glass is 1/2 full, other 1/2 empty. 

[Birdie And Sue]

On 9/5/2019 at 11:29 AM, Dgius said:

I just got an email that the HAVEN restaurant is closed our entire sailing on the NCL Joy(leaving in just 2 days!!!!).   They said that we would be eating breakfast and lunch in Cagneys!  And we have the 7 day specialty dinner package.   I am very upset. I had an intention to rarely leave the sanctuary of the Haven space.   I would appreciate any comments or feedback.   Am I am being unreasonable by being very upset and disappointed?  I am not a big specialty restaurant person so what should I book if I have to choose one every night of our sailing.   

 

 

 

 

Upset, yes you are being unreasonable.  Disappointed, not so much.  If you do not want to leave the Haven simply have your butler bring you dinner to your cabin every night form the specialty dining of your choice.  The Haven dining facility, like everything else on a cruise ship, need attention from time to time.  For whatever reason they chose to do the work during your cruise.  Accept it and move on.  Enjoy the free specialty dining they are giving you to make up for the inconvenience.  Nothing to ruin your whole cruise over.  Especially not before you even set foot on the ship and see how everything goes.

[Birdie And Sue]

On 9/6/2019 at 2:13 PM, SeaShark said:

FWIW...you don't have to "have a butler" to be educated enough to know what they do. Even poor people can know what a butler does. Money is not a requirement for knowledge.

 

Many times it is an impediment to knowledge. Let alone manners, tact, and common courtesy!

[LaCal]

I’d be OK w Cagneys as a Alternative 

[Named-Tawny]

On 9/6/2019 at 8:01 PM, SailBreakaway said:

This is unacceptable. Lately NCL is making these bad decisions at their customers expense, literally. They just came out of one of the most expensive dry docks in history, there should be zero MX needed. This screams poor planning. 

 

So, out of interest, what's a better solution, in you're opinion?

 

They could just not do the repairs, I suppose?

[Outerdog]

35 minutes ago, Named-Tawny said:

So, out of interest, what's a better solution, in you're opinion?

 

They could just not do the repairs, I suppose?

 

What kind of repairs do you suppose a four year old ship which just came out of extensive dry dock would need which would necessitate the closing of an entire restaurant for seven days?

 

They could service the Haven restaurant from another galley. Might be a little inconvenient for the crew, but that's better than inconveniencing the passengers.

 

Look at the example of this OP. They have stated they have some mobility issues and those issues are one of their drivers for booking the Haven... so they can remain within short distances of the services they paid for. Not that the pax should have to explain themselves, mind you.

 

Another solution floated in this thread was to split the closing across two sailings. Might have made the pill a little easier to swallow.

 

See that? There's two options right there, two reasonable options.  And I'm just a dumb-dumb on Cruise Critic.

 

Edited September 8, 2019 by Outerdog

[elwood_98034]

We got off the Joy yesterday. I know the OP has sailed already, but here is my take on the situation.

For them, Cagney's is a long hike from the Haven with their mobility issues. You either trek Deck 17 pool deck outside in the cold, or fight your way through the crowds on the lower decks. I suspect they are going to have a week of Room Service, which was actually very good. La Cucina would have been a better alternative choice (closer). I expect that the Concierge will take excellent care of them, and they will have a great trip with no problems.

The OP could do the Garden Cafe for breakfast. From what I saw the breakfast food is about the same as the Haven, but it can be hard to get a table, and you have to run around to get everything you want. The crowds and noise were a bit of a turn off too.

We did lunch twice in the Haven, and it was ok. My first dinner there left me in the bathroom from 3.00am onwards, and my daughter had the same item three nights later, and was vomiting until 1.00am. My son had tried a bite of hers and had stomach cramps. I talked to the Chef after I sent my meal back, and we discussed things. I expressed my surprise, and he asked if I wanted anything else, and I declined, as I was already feeling nauseous. He didn't seem at all perturbed by my comments. When three people get sick after eating the same thing it is pretty easy to figure out what the problem was.

What surprised me about the Haven is that what you ordered and what you got weren't always the same thing. I ordered bacon and eggs, and they bought out French toast. Stupid little errors. Their QA was off. 

By the end of the week we had done Le Bistro once, small serves which made it expensive, but a very nice Serbian wine steward offset a fairly taciturn waiter. I had Caesar Salad, the Escargot, and Dover Sole, which came with two little finger sized potatoes. It was very nice, but like I said, the servings were petite. Almost snack sized. From memory, I went to the Garden Cafe afterwards, and put a hotdog in a bun as I was still hungry.

We went to Cagney's twice, and it was excellent in every way. Simply great food and service. Caesar Salad!

We had Room service twice, where I had Caesar Salad and a pizza, with an assortment of desserts. Nice.

Then the Haven on the Thursday night where I deliberately avoided their menu entirely and asked for the same pizza I had had from Room Service. It is made fresh in the Garden Buffet kitchen. I asked the waiter why pizza wasn't on the Haven menu, and he looked a bit sheepish and said that a lot of people asked for it, and they were looking into menu changes. I had the pizza for dinner three times, as I was tired of eating meat. By the last day I didn't even bother going for breakfast. It just wasn't appealing by that stage. Runny eggs, over cooked bacon, wrong orders, running out of little things like sugar, and milk and coffee. Every day...

 

The pizza? Amazing. A great crust, fresh toppings, not too much cheese, and hot out of the oven. Delicious +

 

What we did notice was that we would see someone in the Haven restaurant maybe once, and then not see them ever again. On Thursday night at 6.30pm there were 20 customers in the entire restaurant. Breakfast was busy every day, Lunch was almost a ghost town, and dinner tended to be very quiet, especially towards the end of the week.

American Diner was almost always totally deserted when we went past. I mean not a single person inside. We went for lunch on the first day, and it wasn't very good. 

Le Bistro and Cagney's were always packed to the gills. La Cucina was about half full the two or three times we went past. The Garden Cafe was always a total mosh-pit. My daughter and I had curry, and veal with mushrooms there one lunchtime. It was excellent. Really nice food. I wish we could have got it in the Haven for dinner. With Vegetables on the side.

Crepes! They were only available in the evening, and the Nutella has gone away. So I had a spoonful of slightly cooked banana wrapped in a crepe with some whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on top. No bueno. I didn't eat it. We never went back. I don't know what I was expecting, but that wasn't it.

 

To get back to the main point, I think the Haven kitchen isn't working. At all. I think they are doing a total tear out. Have I worked in food service on a ship? Yes. We had 600 hundred sailors for three meals a day, and they ate well. The menu that they are offering isn't appealing, very few fresh salads/vegetables (which went for anywhere we personally went on the ship), and people were obviously just giving up and going other places. We did. Honestly, the food in the Garden Cafe looked just as good, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of the time what we ordered in the Haven came straight from there. And that is quite ok with me. It was good looking food. There was a lot of seafood, which is great if you aren't allergic to it. Two of us were. Bummer for us. Then we got the couple of meals that I believe made three of us sick. My kids got sick even after I talked to the Chef about what was clearly wrong the first time. That isn't ok.

Tip of the Day: When something hits your table, look at it very closely. If you have ANY doubts at all, order something else, or get up and walk out. Don't order it again. We stupid.

A Vegetarian would struggle IMHO. I must have eaten ten Caesar Salads during the week just trying to find something vegetable. We preferred to eat Room Service BLT's and pizza twice rather than walk literally 100 feet to order off the Haven menu. We just ran out of things to order.

 

The best meal I had all week staying in the NCL Joy Haven? Garden Cafe Supreme pizza. Hands down. I had it three times. With Caesar Salad...Endless Caesar Salads. By Juneau I could have shanked someone for a taco salad or a Brussel sprout. The good news is NCL would appear to have identified that they have a problem, and are spending serious money to fix it. Thank goodness. No more Caesar Salads for me.

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, Outerdog said:

 

What kind of repairs do you suppose a four year old ship which just came out of extensive dry dock would need which would necessitate the closing of an entire restaurant for seven days?

 

They could service the Haven restaurant from another galley. Might be a little inconvenient for the crew, but that's better than inconveniencing the passengers.

 

Look at the example of this OP. They have stated they have some mobility issues and those issues are one of their drivers for booking the Haven... so they can remain within short distances of the services they paid for. Not that the pax should have to explain themselves, mind you.

 

Another solution floated in this thread was to split the closing across two sailings. Might have made the pill a little easier to swallow.

 

See that? There's two options right there, two reasonable options.  And I'm just a dumb-dumb on Cruise Critic.

 

If I could give a free cruise for the best answer of the thread, it would go to you!  This captures exactly what I feel and what I think others have tried to articulate as well.  A newly dry docked ship should not have to undergo such extensive repairs that it shuts down an exclusive dining venue for an entire week.  End of story.  This repair work has been on the books for a while, I presume.  It didn't just pop up.  Perhaps it should have been noted on the haven booking when it was made.  IDK maybe that's not practical.  I do think that NCL has offered a solution that will work for most people.  But here's a thought...why not shut down a venue like, say, La Cucina for the week and make that the Haven restaurant venue?  That would put all kinds of people up in arms and I'm sure would never happen.  Better to inconvenience a small percentage of passengers than an entire ship.  The bottom line is, there's no easy answer.  I think NCL has done the best they can in this situation and many suggestions have been made that will hopefully be viable for the OP now that their cruise is underway. But I applaud you for hitting the nail on the head.

[ColeThornton]

3 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

If I could give a free cruise for the best answer of the thread, it would go to you!  This captures exactly what I feel and what I think others have tried to articulate as well.  A newly dry docked ship should not have to undergo such extensive repairs that it shuts down an exclusive dining venue for an entire week.  End of story.  This repair work has been on the books for a while, I presume.  It didn't just pop up.  Perhaps it should have been noted on the haven booking when it was made.  IDK maybe that's not practical.  I do think that NCL has offered a solution that will work for most people.  But here's a thought...why not shut down a venue like, say, La Cucina for the week and make that the Haven restaurant venue?  That would put all kinds of people up in arms and I'm sure would never happen.  Better to inconvenience a small percentage of passengers than an entire ship.  The bottom line is, there's no easy answer.  I think NCL has done the best they can in this situation and many suggestions have been made that will hopefully be viable for the OP now that their cruise is underway. But I applaud you for hitting the nail on the head.

 

 

"This repair work has been on the books for a while, I PRESUME.  It didn't just pop up."

 

In other words you, me  nor anyone else here knows what the exact issue is.  Once again, this is not a maintenance issue but a REPAIR issue.  Big difference.  Repairs are not something that you plan for in advance, they just happen.  When you are running a ship 24/7/365 there is no good time for things to break down.  If it's in a galley it could be a safety issue.  On board ship that's the last thing you want.

 

The poster that you are responding to said "why not just service the Haven restaurant from one of the others".  Then one must think:

 

How far away is the other restaurant?     Does it have enough cooking space to service another entire restaurant?  Is it realistic to have food transported from there for many people and keep the temperature/quality acceptable?  Not to mention are the repairs that are being done in the Haven restaurant loud, dusty and obnoxious that would ruin the nice ambiance.

 

Like you said there is no easy answer and  you would have to think NCL has considered all practical factors and made the best decision possible.  Someone was going to be inconvenienced.

 

Like you G.P. I hope it works out as best it can for all concerned and they have a great time.

[You_only_live_once]

On 9/5/2019 at 12:48 PM, Dgius said:

UPDATE:  I just called to try and make reservations for the specialty dining rooms......AND THERE ARE NO SLOTS AVAILABLE LEFT.......IN ANY OF THE RESTAURANTS until 9:45PM!!!!!!   Which is not an option for my husband and me.   I was trying to be opened minded....NOW I am just ticked off!!!   

Don't get upset about something you have no control over. Deep breath.. When we were on the Jade there is no Haven restaurant at all and I was wondering how I would like that. Turns out the breakfast at Cagneys which is just for Haven was wonderful and our concierge was ALWAYS able to get us in at the specialty restaurants. They only open a small portion before the sailing.  Enjoy your cruise and don't sweat the small stuff. Also.. You can ask for your butler to deliver your meal to your room if that is what you prefer. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

If I paid the Haven premium, I would be very disappointed to not receive the Haven dining. That said, it does seem like NCL tried their best to provide an equivalent specialty experience for the affected pax. I hope that the OP had/has fun and enjoys the specialty restaurants. 

[rattanchair]

On 9/5/2019 at 12:48 PM, Dgius said:

UPDATE:  I just called to try and make reservations for the specialty dining rooms......AND THERE ARE NO SLOTS AVAILABLE LEFT.......IN ANY OF THE RESTAURANTS until 9:45PM!!!!!!   Which is not an option for my husband and me.   I was trying to be opened minded....NOW I am just ticked off!!!   

Dear D, Was on the Breakaway H6 Haven for our first time this June. Thought the same as you. Had a 'free perk' of 3x specialty dining. Haven restaurant was small and was 'open' for a fee to the "hoi polloi" which provided Haven guests with a 'show' along with their dinners. (the over indulged were falling out of their chairs, drunk). The monotony of the Haven menu was tedious so I was going to say the closing of the Haven is a 'blessing in disguise'. After the 4th day we went to the concierge, Roy P, of the Haven and got the same response, only after 9:45PM, so we still had the option and stayed in the Haven for meals and let the 'free perk' expire. The last evening at sea, the weather was so perfect for a dining opportunity at one of the four 'waterfront' restaurants, we inquired with the hostess when Moderno Waterfront would be open. "Sorry sir, the Waterfront of Moderno is closed because we do not have enough wait staff".

   Go early to the concierge and have a $50 handy because you will be competing with every Haven passenger on board. Oh, yes, our cabin was one of the best at sea.

[BirdTravels]

On 9/8/2019 at 4:46 PM, cruisequeen4ever said:

If I paid the Haven premium, I would be very disappointed to not receive the Haven dining. That said, it does seem like NCL tried their best to provide an equivalent specialty experience for the affected pax. I hope that the OP had/has fun and enjoys the specialty restaurants. 

Eating in the Cagney’s space is equivalent of not better than the Haven Restaurant. It has tables. Tablecloth. And food. They are being offered the same menu as in the Haven Restaurant. 

[rattanchair]

Oh, yes. I do recall that the concierge, Roy P, also offered  us as Haven guests the option of having a Specialty Restaurant meal brought to our cabin which you can order through your butler. I am sure your butler can rustle up a tablecloth and the ambience will be much more romantic. Roy P. had one more caveat, do not expect the meal to be hot.

[NLH Arizona]

On 9/8/2019 at 10:34 AM, Outerdog said:

They could service the Haven restaurant from another galley. Might be a little inconvenient for the crew, but that's better than inconveniencing the passengers.

 

If they service from another galley, wonder what they will say/do when the passengers complain that the food is not hot enough for them?

[rattanchair]

It will be a great cruise experience. Eating in a Specialty Restaurant next to a couple or a family that paid $499 for the cabin to eat at the same table, with the same tablecloths and the same food that you paid 10x more for. Say hello to Jake and Elwood for me, they will accompany you wherever you choose to dine. You just have to love NCL, it is my most favorite cruise line.

[Luigi007]

On 9/5/2019 at 12:48 PM, Dgius said:

UPDATE:  I just called to try and make reservations for the specialty dining rooms......AND THERE ARE NO SLOTS AVAILABLE LEFT.......IN ANY OF THE RESTAURANTS until 9:45PM!!!!!!   Which is not an option for my husband and me.   I was trying to be opened minded....NOW I am just ticked off!!!   

Like others said, this is inconsequential. Only a portion of the seats are booked online. We just came back from a Bliss cruise and although all restaurants that interested us seemed sold out when we looked online, when we got on board, we were easily able to get all restaurants we wanted and at the times we preferred, even though we changed our minds a few times and made last minute reservations. We also showed up without a reservation to one of them, and they still accommodated us. It seems like people book spots way in advance, afraid of missing out, and then they change their plans and there are always cancellations and spots left for waiting lists. 

[teachberry]

On 9/8/2019 at 12:47 PM, elwood_98034 said:

We got off the Joy yesterday. I know the OP has sailed already, but here is my take on the situation.

For them, Cagney's is a long hike from the Haven with their mobility issues. You either trek Deck 17 pool deck outside in the cold, or fight your way through the crowds on the lower decks. I suspect they are going to have a week of Room Service, which was actually very good. La Cucina would have been a better alternative choice (closer). I expect that the Concierge will take excellent care of them, and they will have a great trip with no problems.

The OP could do the Garden Cafe for breakfast. From what I saw the breakfast food is about the same as the Haven, but it can be hard to get a table, and you have to run around to get everything you want. The crowds and noise were a bit of a turn off too.

We did lunch twice in the Haven, and it was ok. My first dinner there left me in the bathroom from 3.00am onwards, and my daughter had the same item three nights later, and was vomiting until 1.00am. My son had tried a bite of hers and had stomach cramps. I talked to the Chef after I sent my meal back, and we discussed things. I expressed my surprise, and he asked if I wanted anything else, and I declined, as I was already feeling nauseous. He didn't seem at all perturbed by my comments. When three people get sick after eating the same thing it is pretty easy to figure out what the problem was.

What surprised me about the Haven is that what you ordered and what you got weren't always the same thing. I ordered bacon and eggs, and they bought out French toast. Stupid little errors. Their QA was off. 

By the end of the week we had done Le Bistro once, small serves which made it expensive, but a very nice Serbian wine steward offset a fairly taciturn waiter. I had Caesar Salad, the Escargot, and Dover Sole, which came with two little finger sized potatoes. It was very nice, but like I said, the servings were petite. Almost snack sized. From memory, I went to the Garden Cafe afterwards, and put a hotdog in a bun as I was still hungry.

We went to Cagney's twice, and it was excellent in every way. Simply great food and service. Caesar Salad!

We had Room service twice, where I had Caesar Salad and a pizza, with an assortment of desserts. Nice.

Then the Haven on the Thursday night where I deliberately avoided their menu entirely and asked for the same pizza I had had from Room Service. It is made fresh in the Garden Buffet kitchen. I asked the waiter why pizza wasn't on the Haven menu, and he looked a bit sheepish and said that a lot of people asked for it, and they were looking into menu changes. I had the pizza for dinner three times, as I was tired of eating meat. By the last day I didn't even bother going for breakfast. It just wasn't appealing by that stage. Runny eggs, over cooked bacon, wrong orders, running out of little things like sugar, and milk and coffee. Every day...

 

The pizza? Amazing. A great crust, fresh toppings, not too much cheese, and hot out of the oven. Delicious +

 

What we did notice was that we would see someone in the Haven restaurant maybe once, and then not see them ever again. On Thursday night at 6.30pm there were 20 customers in the entire restaurant. Breakfast was busy every day, Lunch was almost a ghost town, and dinner tended to be very quiet, especially towards the end of the week.

American Diner was almost always totally deserted when we went past. I mean not a single person inside. We went for lunch on the first day, and it wasn't very good. 

Le Bistro and Cagney's were always packed to the gills. La Cucina was about half full the two or three times we went past. The Garden Cafe was always a total mosh-pit. My daughter and I had curry, and veal with mushrooms there one lunchtime. It was excellent. Really nice food. I wish we could have got it in the Haven for dinner. With Vegetables on the side.

Crepes! They were only available in the evening, and the Nutella has gone away. So I had a spoonful of slightly cooked banana wrapped in a crepe with some whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on top. No bueno. I didn't eat it. We never went back. I don't know what I was expecting, but that wasn't it.

 

To get back to the main point, I think the Haven kitchen isn't working. At all. I think they are doing a total tear out. Have I worked in food service on a ship? Yes. We had 600 hundred sailors for three meals a day, and they ate well. The menu that they are offering isn't appealing, very few fresh salads/vegetables (which went for anywhere we personally went on the ship), and people were obviously just giving up and going other places. We did. Honestly, the food in the Garden Cafe looked just as good, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of the time what we ordered in the Haven came straight from there. And that is quite ok with me. It was good looking food. There was a lot of seafood, which is great if you aren't allergic to it. Two of us were. Bummer for us. Then we got the couple of meals that I believe made three of us sick. My kids got sick even after I talked to the Chef about what was clearly wrong the first time. That isn't ok.

Tip of the Day: When something hits your table, look at it very closely. If you have ANY doubts at all, order something else, or get up and walk out. Don't order it again. We stupid.

A Vegetarian would struggle IMHO. I must have eaten ten Caesar Salads during the week just trying to find something vegetable. We preferred to eat Room Service BLT's and pizza twice rather than walk literally 100 feet to order off the Haven menu. We just ran out of things to order.

 

The best meal I had all week staying in the NCL Joy Haven? Garden Cafe Supreme pizza. Hands down. I had it three times. With Caesar Salad...Endless Caesar Salads. By Juneau I could have shanked someone for a taco salad or a Brussel sprout. The good news is NCL would appear to have identified that they have a problem, and are spending serious money to fix it. Thank goodness. No more Caesar Salads for me.

 

I was surprised by the lack of vegetables as sides on the Cagneys menu...only creamed spinach (they did have creamed corn). However tonight at Ocean Blue there was steamed brocolli, mixed vegetables, spinach and...brussel sprouts available as sides.

[Kalum]

1 hour ago, teachberry said:

I was surprised by the lack of vegetables as sides on the Cagneys menu...only creamed spinach (they did have creamed corn). However tonight at Ocean Blue there was steamed brocolli, mixed vegetables, spinach and...brussel sprouts available as sides.

And where you able to choose more than 2 sides or did they try to limit you?

Thx 

[teachberry]

23 hours ago, Kalum said:

And where you able to choose more than 2 sides or did they try to limit you?

Thx 

We were using the dining package and I don't remember if we were limited to only 2. Sorry!