My recent TA Haven Epic Cruises

[rachiem]

1 hour ago, dporter said:

@wdsted How was your embarkation?  We will be on Epic in the Haven in February, were you able to skip any long lines to get into the Haven check in and waiting area?

 

@rachiem When was your cruise on Epic?

Last May, 7 nights Barcelona. 
We loved the cruise but didn’t feel that Haven added loads of value. Saying that it was port intensive, so maybe used the facilities less than a TA. 

[dporter]

12 minutes ago, rachiem said:

Last May, 7 nights Barcelona. 
We loved the cruise but didn’t feel that Haven added loads of value. Saying that it was port intensive, so maybe used the facilities less than a TA. 

We haven't done any cruises in Europe yet, its on the bucket list.  I hear that most are port intensive so I will definitely need a few days after to wind down.

[dporter]

@wdsted sorry I misread reply

Edited December 17, 2019 by dporter
misread

[GA Dave]

This may be a fleet-wide issue on the one-way cruises.  There were multiple bad reviews for the Getaway's TA, as well as several other NCL ships.  Between the Encore stealing away the best talent for her TA, plus the usual high staff turnover this time of year, plus the fact that some experienced senior crew may not want to do the one-way trips, this probably accounts for many of the issues people are seeing. Makes me very leery of doing a TA, regardless of the price.

[kickbutt10]

On 12/13/2019 at 10:33 PM, ptuder said:

MikeyB. We just got off the Breakaway Haven last week and your experiences are not unique to the Epic.  

 

We have sailed NCL Haven many times in the past and this last trip on the Breakaway was the worst in terms of service in the Haven along with other items throughout the cruise. One thing to note is that there are no longer pool chairs on the pool level of the Haven. They are all tables with lounge chairs only on the top level. Therefore you really can’t hang out on the pool level unless you want to sit at a table. They had almost zero service by the pool or on the upper level.  There were many other service issues that I’ll put into a review this weekend. 

 

The Epic is my husbands favorite ship and we’ve had Roel twice as a butler but never as a concierge. We have sailed MSC twice in their Yacht Club in the past couple of years and decided to try Haven again.  For now we think we will stay with MSC.  TheYacht Club space, service and price is noticeably better than NCL.  We still had a fun cruise, but nothing outstanding. 

 

This is coming from a very loyal Platinum NCL cruiser.  We would cruise them again but it would have to be a good price which is hard to find anymore and I really don’t think they care too much about retaining their customer base as they are getting enough new folks through upgrade methods. 

We were in Breakaway Haven in September and had a wonderful experience.  (it was our first time in Haven) In November, we were on Getaway in the Haven and had an equally wonderful time.  Our service was superb on both ships.  I did notice the differences in the pool area but they did not really strike me as odd.  Breakaway has the retractable roof which allowed them to utilize that areas more.  One evening they had dining under the stars which was very nice.  Getaway does not have the retractable roof so I would understand why you may want to lay in the sun near the pool.  I found both areas to be very nice.  We found the service and staff of both ships to be wonderful and very friendly.

 

We will be back on Breakaway in May.  Can you tell me who the concierge was while you were on last week?  

 

 

[FLAHAM]

6 hours ago, GA Dave said:

This may be a fleet-wide issue on the one-way cruises.  There were multiple bad reviews for the Getaway's TA, as well as several other NCL ships.  Between the Encore stealing away the best talent for her TA, plus the usual high staff turnover this time of year, plus the fact that some experienced senior crew may not want to do the one-way trips, this probably accounts for many of the issues people are seeing. Makes me very leery of doing a TA, regardless of the price.

Two westbound TA cruises (Epic and Breakaway) were both wonderful.  Looking forward to a Getaway eastbound TA this coming spring. 

[sicness4x4]

8 hours ago, GA Dave said:

This may be a fleet-wide issue on the one-way cruises.  There were multiple bad reviews for the Getaway's TA, as well as several other NCL ships.  Between the Encore stealing away the best talent for her TA, plus the usual high staff turnover this time of year, plus the fact that some experienced senior crew may not want to do the one-way trips, this probably accounts for many of the issues people are seeing. Makes me very leery of doing a TA, regardless of the price.

10 TAs on NCL - Epic (6), Getaway (2), Escape, and Encore. All were great, but this last one on the Epic is the least favorite. Definitely not because of the crew. They are wonderful as always. This was the least favorite TA becuase of the fellow passengers, the disembarkation and also the Epic is starting to look and feel worn out. We might do another TA on the Epic after she is refurbished, but doubtful if we disembark in San Juan.

[wdsted]

16 hours ago, brookie848 said:

 

For our previous cruises out of San Juan, there is one security line -- nothing special for Haven/suites. Once we were in the terminal, the check-in for the Haven was waaaay at the far end, so depending on the line situation in the terminal, it may not be obvious. The waiting area was very small and right beyond where we checked in. 

 

Hopefully someone can update us on how things will be for this season.

We left our hotel at 2:00 and got out of the taxi an hour later.  There’s a 1-lane road in and traffic was bad.  10,000 or so departing guests with the Epic and RCL ship makes for slow going.  Luggage drop off and check in took 10 minutes and we were onboard right away.  The only issue was that the Haven restaurant had stopped serving lunch and the only open option was the Garden Cafe, a venue we avoid like the plague.  NCL should have extended Haven lunch service.  Except for that hiccup, service, dining, and the cabin have been great!  

[BostonGal35]

we were on Breakaway Haven the 11-30 sail.  One of the worst haven experiences we've ever had.  We had to have a new Butler assigned, we talked to others who rarely saw Butlers and never got any daily snacks, the roof was closed the ENTIRE WEEK despite it being perfect sunny weather the whole time.  teh concierge was the worst we've ever had, and teh bartenders did not re-stock liquors that patrons were drinking that ran out by day 5 or 6, despite those liquors being available at other bars on the ship.  had we not known the perks and benefits we were entitled to as Haven guests, and knew to ask for tehm, we wouldnt have had any special service for the price we paid.

[dporter]

12 hours ago, wdsted said:

We left our hotel at 2:00 and got out of the taxi an hour later.  There’s a 1-lane road in and traffic was bad.  10,000 or so departing guests with the Epic and RCL ship makes for slow going.  Luggage drop off and check in took 10 minutes and we were onboard right away.  The only issue was that the Haven restaurant had stopped serving lunch and the only open option was the Garden Cafe, a venue we avoid like the plague.  NCL should have extended Haven lunch service.  Except for that hiccup, service, dining, and the cabin have been great!  

 

Thank you.  When we embark the Epic will be the only ship at the Pan American pier so that should help a little. We have embarked/disembarked from San Juan previously so we are familiar with the approach to the pier.  We will be staying close to the pier so we will just keep an eye on how the traffic is flowing.

[ptuder]

On 12/18/2019 at 8:46 AM, BostonGal35 said:

we were on Breakaway Haven the 11-30 sail.  One of the worst haven experiences we've ever had.  We had to have a new Butler assigned, we talked to others who rarely saw Butlers and never got any daily snacks, the roof was closed the ENTIRE WEEK despite it being perfect sunny weather the whole time.  teh concierge was the worst we've ever had, and teh bartenders did not re-stock liquors that patrons were drinking that ran out by day 5 or 6, despite those liquors being available at other bars on the ship.  had we not known the perks and benefits we were entitled to as Haven guests, and knew to ask for tehm, we wouldnt have had any special service for the price we paid.

Agreed, that was the same week we were there and it was noticeably different than any of our other Haven cruises.  I can’t even remember the name of the concierge as the service and interaction was non existent.

One night we were told a certain liquor was unavailable “for now”.  We asked what that meant and a few minutes later was told they found it in a closet!  Snack mix provided in plastic solo cups only if you asked.

With the premium you pay for the Haven, they either need to be exceptional or lower the price. Definitely not a typical Haven experience.