The NCL Haven Luxury VIP Experience "Secrets" REVISED for 2022

[Sthrngary]

38 minutes ago, kasimir said:

 

I don't entirely agree on this. My wife and myself are fully aware that NCL is a family oriented cruise line, which includes that families are also allowed in the Haven. 

And we even tolerate kids as we made the choice to cruise with NCL, and if they become loud/rowdy/wild we try to find another place to escape to. Kids will be kids and I can understand them. 

 

My biggest issue is with the staff treating the written rules around the "adult-only areas" in the Haven so nonchalant for whatever reason. On top of that, other paying customers are outing their concerns (regarding the rules being broken) to the staff and concierge and nothing is being done, which is a major issue. 

In the end the rules are being broken. (period) ... If this is being tolerated who stops a smoker then to light up a cigarette in a non-smoking area? This is a slippery slope and the staff is there to ensure that the rules are being adhered to and if the staff fears to do anything about the situation because they fear repercussion regarding their income, then it needs to be escalated. 

 

To Ben and David their video, and an important comment they made, when cruising with Disney cruise lines there are adult-only areas as well, and the Disney staff ensures that no kids are allowed in there. If Disney can do it, NCL should also be able to do it. 

So this is a corporate and staff issue, and if NCL is unable to enforce the rule then just remove the rule and signs, but then we all have clarity and as customers can make the necessary choice for our next cruise. 

@kasimir Well written and thought out.  The point is being missed but that is what happens ever time this subject comes up.  Usually, at this point, I just let it peter out.  However, I am compelled to comment.  Everything I research, write, post or comment on is designed to enhance my cruising experience.  In turn, I share it so other can consider enhancing their experience.  Part of that is to understand the aspects of an itinerary, ship, cabin level or brand.  It is clear and has been well documented that NCL is at fault for not consistently managing this or any situation that is an area of dissatisfaction to their guests. "If you make a rule, enforce the rule or have NO rules." CHECK!!

 

Now go along with me on this one.  I go on line to let's say, CruiseCritic.com.  I go to the NCL blog on the Haven.  The topic of unruly children that are not supervised by their parents controlling the Haven Pool, Hot tub and Courtyard is the topic with a lively debate going on.  Enough folks talk about it and are upset with it, it becomes a real thing.  Now I have to make a decision, how to I control this situation to make my vacation all it can be.  NCL is clearly at fault by allowing it to happen and that is not going to change until it changes.  I on the other hand will be cruising in 30 days on that ship.  I knew the issue before I booked it so there is an possibility it might happen.  Again, the question I have to ask myself is,

 

"How can I manage the situation to still create and enhanced situation for my vacation?"

 

That is the purpose of my posts. Know the possibilities and manage your expectations.  If you never even knew it was a possibility, do more research next time.  I had more then one situation and I quite frankly did not like it.  So to fix my issue and enhance my vacation here are some of the things I did.

 

When To Book: I choose dates where most smaller children and teens are in school.  Example, I used to book Thanksgiving week every year.  Now I book the week after Thanksgiving.  Problem solved and less money.

 

Brand To Book:  If I really want to solve this issue because it is that important to me, I go on Virgin, Luxury or Ultra-Luxury brands which surprisingly cost about the same as the Haven. In most cases they provide more as part of their initial fare.

 

Deal Directly with The Manager:  If I did all I could do to control the possibility and it comes up anyway, I go directly to the Manager of the department.  My approach is calm, professional, specific and direct.  I explain NCL's policies, how they are being broken and how it makes me and others around me feel.  So many times, complaints on this and other topics never are communicated directly with the leadership and instead they are shouted on Social Media which rarely handles the problem or vacation one is on. 

 

Manage Expectations:  Since I know this and other issue have a likely hood of happening, I have a discussion with my family or friends joining me.  If this happens, we do "THIS".  Usually that is going to the Haven Sundeck where the only ships I will cruise have two hot tubs up there and an age limit of 16 or above.  I have NEVER had an issue in the Haven Sundeck, ever. This strategy of Manage Expectations is a theme for my vacations.  Outside of children, another topic I manage expectations on is cruise ports.  In 44 days, I will my wife and best friends will be cruising on a Luxury Brand to 7 ports in the Mediterranean.  This brand is known to cancel ports for the smallest reason.  I know this and fully expect it. I have educated my guest on that fact.  If if happens, we will all be a bit disappointed but not shocked.  If it does not happen our expectations will be exceeded.  

 

This attitude of what I can and can not control allows me to stay positive most of the time.  If I have learned anything about cruising it is, nothing ever truly goes exactly as planned.  So know the potential trigger points, do you best to plan around them, have a back up plan, be positive and flexibly.  If you don't, you very expensive vacation will be very disappointing.  The only thing I can control is my attitude and preparation. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

 

 

[lgdesign]

9 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@kasimir Well written and thought out.  The point is being missed but that is what happens ever time this subject comes up.  Usually, at this point, I just let it peter out.  However, I am compelled to comment.  Everything I research, write, post or comment on is designed to enhance my cruising experience.  In turn, I share it so other can consider enhancing their experience.  Part of that is to understand the aspects of an itinerary, ship, cabin level or brand.  It is clear and has been well documented that NCL is at fault for not consistently managing this or any situation that is an area of dissatisfaction to their guests. "If you make a rule, enforce the rule or have NO rules." CHECK!!

 

Now go along with me on this one.  I go on line to let's say, CruiseCritic.com.  I go to the NCL blog on the Haven.  The topic of unruly children that are not supervised by their parents controlling the Haven Pool, Hot tub and Courtyard is the topic with a lively debate going on.  Enough folks talk about it and are upset with it, it becomes a real thing.  Now I have to make a decision, how to I control this situation to make my vacation all it can be.  NCL is clearly at fault by allowing it to happen and that is not going to change until it changes.  I on the other hand will be cruising in 30 days on that ship.  I knew the issue before I booked it so there is an possibility it might happen.  Again, the question I have to ask myself is,

 

"How can I manage the situation to still create and enhanced situation for my vacation?"

 

That is the purpose of my posts. Know the possibilities and manage your expectations.  If you never even knew it was a possibility, do more research next time.  I had more then one situation and I quite frankly did not like it.  So to fix my issue and enhance my vacation here are some of the things I did.

 

When To Book: I choose dates where most smaller children and teens are in school.  Example, I used to book Thanksgiving week every year.  Now I book the week after Thanksgiving.  Problem solved and less money.

 

Brand To Book:  If I really want to solve this issue because it is that important to me, I go on Virgin, Luxury or Ultra-Luxury brands which surprisingly cost about the same as the Haven. In most cases they provide more as part of their initial fare.

 

Deal Directly with The Manager:  If I did all I could do to control the possibility and it comes up anyway, I go directly to the Manager of the department.  My approach is calm, professional, specific and direct.  I explain NCL's policies, how they are being broken and how it makes me and others around me feel.  So many times, complaints on this and other topics never are communicated directly with the leadership and instead they are shouted on Social Media which rarely handles the problem or vacation one is on. 

 

Manage Expectations:  Since I know this and other issue have a likely hood of happening, I have a discussion with my family or friends joining me.  If this happens, we do "THIS".  Usually that is going to the Haven Sundeck where the only ships I will cruise have two hot tubs up there and an age limit of 16 or above.  I have NEVER had an issue in the Haven Sundeck, ever. This strategy of Manage Expectations is a theme for my vacations.  Outside of children, another topic I manage expectations on is cruise ports.  In 44 days, I will my wife and best friends will be cruising on a Luxury Brand to 7 ports in the Mediterranean.  This brand is known to cancel ports for the smallest reason.  I know this and fully expect it. I have educated my guest on that fact.  If if happens, we will all be a bit disappointed but not shocked.  If it does not happen our expectations will be exceeded.  

 

This attitude of what I can and can not control allows me to stay positive most of the time.  If I have learned anything about cruising it is, nothing ever truly goes exactly as planned.  So know the potential trigger points, do you best to plan around them, have a back up plan, be positive and flexibly.  If you don't, you very expensive vacation will be very disappointing.  The only thing I can control is my attitude and preparation. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

 

 

BRAVO!

[Sthrngary]

53 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

No kids under 16 on the sundeck. I don't care how well behaved their parents think they are. Abide by the rule or I will make a stink. Any other part of the Haven is fair  game except actually sitting at the bar ( which I have seen). 

@Treasure Hunter You tell them all Hunter.  My daughter destroyed her carpet when we purchased our home many years ago.  When I got a bonus check, I bought brand new expensive carpet in her room.  I created the rule,

 

"No liquid, food, markers, pens or anything else that can leave a stain or burn the carpet."  

 

My lovely bride said, "NO".  She can have water, that does not stain.  I said, "NO".  Water becomes soda, soda becomes, Kool-Aid, Kool-Aid becomes RED Kool-Aid.  I put my foot down, "NO ACCEPTION".  One week later, my wife was in my daughters room and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Gary, come up here!!" There was a red Kool-Aid stain one foot by another foot on the new expensive carpet. I bring this up because many streams have parents that say, "My child is well mannered."  "My child looks 16 and will full the rules."  These parents are probably correct about their kids. HOWEVER, Water transitions to Kool-Aid if the rules are not followed.  This is simply just one example.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Daniel A]

I think the bottom line of this part of the conversation is that if the kids aren't complying with the rules, then it is the parents who are responsible and assume the blame for their offspring's conduct.  If the staff won't hold the parents accountable, then Mommy & Daddy deserve stink-eye and cold shoulder from their fellow cruisers.

[HBCcruiser]

I wonder how feasible it would be for NCL to schedule an an adult only cruise to see what the demand would be. 🤔

[Sthrngary]

6 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

I wonder how feasible it would be for NCL to schedule an an adult only cruise to see what the demand would be. 🤔

hsommer@ncl.com

 

Feel free to ask.  He is the CEO of all NCL Entities now that Frank D senior has retired.  A little history, if you email is positive, he will return with a sentence of two.  If it is negative, he will pass it along and you will gain a basic response form email in 2-4 weeks from someone at the bottom of the food chain. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Sthrngary

[CDR Benson]

12 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

I bring this up because many streams have parents that say, "My child is well mannered."  "My child looks 16 and will full the rules."  These parents are probably correct about their kids. HOWEVER, Water transitions to Kool-Aid if the rules are not followed.  

 

Moreover, even the most well-behaved children lack maturity of judgement and the ability to accurately assess "actions vs. consequences".  That's why you and the spouse don't go on a beach vacation for two weeks and leave your ten-year-old alone and unsupervised at home, no matter how well behaved he is.

 

And it's not just younger children.  I'm personally familiar with a case in which Mom and Dad went off on a week-end getaway, leaving their well-behaved sixteen-year-old daughter at home alone and in charge of the house.  Little Missy decided to invite twenty or thirty of her closest personal friends over for a party that Saturday night.  When the shebang got into full swing, the teens raided Dad's liquor cabinet and fueled further festivities. 

 

By the time the police arrived, called by neighbours irritated by the noise, they found Dad's gun locker broken into, two expensive Remington rifles broken, paint dumped all over the white living room rug, and the canopy over the front porch collapsed.  Roughly $10,000 in damages, total.  When the officers asked the well-behaved sixteen-year-old daughter why she invited so many young people over and allowed them to drink alcohol, she tearfully replied, "But I thought I could control them!"

 

(And, no, she wasn't my kid.  Otherwise, I'd be posting this from the prison computer while I was serving time for murder.)

 

But, you see, poor ability to gauge actions vs. consequences from a, yes, genuinely well-behaved teen.

 

This is why such rules concerning minors are put in place, by NCL and by other venues.  Not because the kid is necessarily a hellspawn, but because his judgement less developed.

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

11 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

hsommer@ncl.com

 

Feel free to ask.  He is the CEO of all NCL Entities now that Frank D senior has retired.  A little history, if you email is positive, he will return with a sentence of two.  If it is negative, he will pass it along and you will be a basic response form someone at the bottom of the food chain. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Emailed him in a positive way. Let's see if he responds. 

[DMH15]

16 minutes ago, CDR Benson said:

 

Moreover, even the most well-behaved children lack maturity of judgement and the ability to accurately assess "actions vs. consequences".  That's why you and the spouse don't go on a beach vacation for two weeks and leave your ten-year-old alone and unsupervised at home, no matter how well behaved he is.

 

And it's not just younger children.  I'm personally familiar with a case in which Mom and Dad went off on a week-end getaway, leaving their well-behaved sixteen-year-old daughter at home alone and in charge of the house.  Little Missy decided to invite twenty or thirty of her closest personal friends over for a party that Saturday night.  When the shebang got into full swing, the teens raided Dad's liquor cabinet and fueled further festivities. 

 

By the time the police arrived, called by neighbours irritated by the noise, they found Dad's gun locker broken into, two expensive Remington rifles broken, paint dumped all over the white living room rug, and the canopy over the front porch collapsed.  Roughly $10,000 in damages, total.  When the officers asked the well-behaved sixteen-year-old daughter why she invited so many young people over and allowed them to drink alcohol, she tearfully replied, "But I thought I could control them!"

 

(And, no, she wasn't my kid.  Otherwise, I'd be posting this from the prison computer while I was serving time for murder.)

 

But, you see, poor ability to gauge actions vs. consequences from a, yes, genuinely well-behaved teen.

 

This is why such rules concerning minors are put in place, by NCL and by other venues.  Not because the kid is necessarily a hellspawn, but because his judgement less developed.

 

 

OMG.  I just realized while reading your post you could have been talking about me 50 years ago.  
 

My parents had gone out and upon return commented on my rearranging the furniture in our living room.  It was months later they realized it was because of the huge hole in the wall behind the secretary, which one of my “friends” had left behind.  
 

I have three siblings but my mom always attributed her grey hair to me.   Ironically, I developed into a very responsible adult, by the grace of God.  
 

In all my cruises I have never been bothered enough by teens, tweens or kids to consider it a detriment to my enjoyment.  This encompasses 5 lines and Haven and YC to inside cabin.  

Edited September 26, 2023 by DMH15

[HBCcruiser]

Well THIS is timely! 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by HBCcruiser

[Gray Eagle02]

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

, Luxury or Ultra-Luxury brands which surprisingly cost about the same as the Haven. In most cases they provide more as part of their initial fare.

Not sure I agree with that statement. We decided to book a Haven DOS on a Caribbean cruise as we have had multiple Regent cruises over the last ten years and the Regent costs  have escalated astronomically since the Pandemic. The Haven DOS was roughly half of the cost of a comparable Regent cruise. We are going with old Navy friends who are old hands at the Haven. I have never gotten a bill at the end of a Regent cruise and after reading CC and watching the Ben and David review, I have no idea what the final cost will be, though I doubt it will double the cost of the room.

[Sthrngary]

1 minute ago, Gray Eagle02 said:

Not sure I agree with that statement. We decided to book a Haven DOS on a Caribbean cruise as we have had multiple Regent cruises over the last ten years and the Regent costs  have escalated astronomically since the Pandemic. The Haven DOS was roughly half of the cost of a comparable Regent cruise. We are going with old Navy friends who are old hands at the Haven. I have never gotten a bill at the end of a Regent cruise and after reading CC and watching the Ben and David review, I have no idea what the final cost will be, though I doubt it will double the cost of the room.

@Gray Eagle02 I very carefully worded my comment on luxury and Ultra-Luxury.  It depends on so much.  But when I did a comparison of Haven, Retreat, Yacht Club, Regent, Oceania, Viking, Silver Seas, Crystal and Seabourn; the Haven/Retreat were more then some and less then other. The comparison was hard because each brand offers different amenities.  

 

Now on the DOS, I stayed in one for a 7-Day Caribbean Cruise with my family and it was lovely.  We were on the NCL Joy, Haven.  What a great trip.  The DOS is one of the few Haven Suites where the soda's/mixers and three bottles of spirits are provided.  I did a YouTube Video on this and I will put the link below.  You can ask my anything you want but I will assure you, you will have a great time.

 

I completely agree with you on Regent pricing.  Hard to justify but like Haven, some folk prefer it.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

 

 

[Bequia]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

I wonder how feasible it would be for NCL to schedule an an adult only cruise to see what the demand would be. 🤔

They wouldn’t want to give up the revenue from the  soda packages, go karts, laser tag, etc.

[HBCcruiser]

13 minutes ago, Bequia said:

They wouldn’t want to give up the revenue from the  soda packages, go karts, laser tag, etc.

We LOVE to ride the go carts and plan on playing laser tag on the Bliss! Add to the the Premium Plus beverage package for all 16 of us and they make bank! 

[Treasure Hunter]

NCL is already trying it out. Last February school break from New York we had 1800 kids on the Breakaway. We had our two grandkids 1O and 7 in a two bedroom family suite in the Haven. The pool and hot tubs got heavy use by the kids but I never saw them ( and certainly not our kids) on the sundeck. Adults complained that the kids in general were too rambunctious. That’s what you get for booking winter break. This winter there are no one week cruises that time of year round trip from NY. Only 10-12 days so we are flying to Miami to take the Encore. The flights are costing $1,000 a person round trip on Delta that week for coach! I guess NCL determined that those 1800 kids didn’t gamble, buy drink packages or anything in the shops but my grandson ate steak almost every meal. 

[kasimir]

5 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@kasimir Well written and thought out.  The point is being missed but that is what happens ever time this subject comes up.  Usually, at this point, I just let it peter out.  However, I am compelled to comment.  Everything I research, write, post or comment on is designed to enhance my cruising experience.  In turn, I share it so other can consider enhancing their experience.  Part of that is to understand the aspects of an itinerary, ship, cabin level or brand.  It is clear and has been well documented that NCL is at fault for not consistently managing this or any situation that is an area of dissatisfaction to their guests. "If you make a rule, enforce the rule or have NO rules." CHECK!!

 

Now go along with me on this one.  I go on line to let's say, CruiseCritic.com.  I go to the NCL blog on the Haven.  The topic of unruly children that are not supervised by their parents controlling the Haven Pool, Hot tub and Courtyard is the topic with a lively debate going on.  Enough folks talk about it and are upset with it, it becomes a real thing.  Now I have to make a decision, how to I control this situation to make my vacation all it can be.  NCL is clearly at fault by allowing it to happen and that is not going to change until it changes.  I on the other hand will be cruising in 30 days on that ship.  I knew the issue before I booked it so there is an possibility it might happen.  Again, the question I have to ask myself is,

 

"How can I manage the situation to still create and enhanced situation for my vacation?"

 

That is the purpose of my posts. Know the possibilities and manage your expectations.  If you never even knew it was a possibility, do more research next time.  I had more then one situation and I quite frankly did not like it.  So to fix my issue and enhance my vacation here are some of the things I did.

 

When To Book: I choose dates where most smaller children and teens are in school.  Example, I used to book Thanksgiving week every year.  Now I book the week after Thanksgiving.  Problem solved and less money.

 

Brand To Book:  If I really want to solve this issue because it is that important to me, I go on Virgin, Luxury or Ultra-Luxury brands which surprisingly cost about the same as the Haven. In most cases they provide more as part of their initial fare.

 

Deal Directly with The Manager:  If I did all I could do to control the possibility and it comes up anyway, I go directly to the Manager of the department.  My approach is calm, professional, specific and direct.  I explain NCL's policies, how they are being broken and how it makes me and others around me feel.  So many times, complaints on this and other topics never are communicated directly with the leadership and instead they are shouted on Social Media which rarely handles the problem or vacation one is on. 

 

Manage Expectations:  Since I know this and other issue have a likely hood of happening, I have a discussion with my family or friends joining me.  If this happens, we do "THIS".  Usually that is going to the Haven Sundeck where the only ships I will cruise have two hot tubs up there and an age limit of 16 or above.  I have NEVER had an issue in the Haven Sundeck, ever. This strategy of Manage Expectations is a theme for my vacations.  Outside of children, another topic I manage expectations on is cruise ports.  In 44 days, I will my wife and best friends will be cruising on a Luxury Brand to 7 ports in the Mediterranean.  This brand is known to cancel ports for the smallest reason.  I know this and fully expect it. I have educated my guest on that fact.  If if happens, we will all be a bit disappointed but not shocked.  If it does not happen our expectations will be exceeded.  

 

This attitude of what I can and can not control allows me to stay positive most of the time.  If I have learned anything about cruising it is, nothing ever truly goes exactly as planned.  So know the potential trigger points, do you best to plan around them, have a back up plan, be positive and flexibly.  If you don't, you very expensive vacation will be very disappointing.  The only thing I can control is my attitude and preparation. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Thanks again for your wise words and remaining diplomatic, and I completely agree with your approach in this thread to help inform us and being honest about the pro’s and con’s, so we can we prepare ourselves and manage our expectations. 
That is also one of the reasons we like Ben and David because they are fairly honest, which should also help others manage their expectations. 

When it comes to the guidelines that you listed, I am 1000% with you and those are the things we go by, especially regarding the booking period. We usually book cruises outside of the high season and to be honest so far it always worked for us and never had any issues with fellow cruisers (including kids). 
Since our first Haven cruise will be soon, we are crossing our fingers that the next cruise will amazing and your insights have helped us so much to prepare. 
 

I would like to add another point to your guidelines of manage expectations, that is important to us. 
It matters to us a lot how much we paid in the end for the cruise and since we recently became quite good at finding/booking cruises at bargain prices, we honestly lower our expectations according to what we paid. 
In that case we are actually not annoyed if things are not perfect and we make the best of it. On the other hand, if we are positively surprised or expectations are exceeded, we make sure to let the crew know and tip quite generously. 

I am not sure if we are the only one, but I also felt that Ben and David had higher expectations because they paid a total of $9000 for their 9 night Viva Haven cruise. 

[Treasure Hunter]

Yes, Oceania cancels excursions. We went on a Med cruise specifically because of an unusual excursion out of Monte Carlo (the art colony at Saint Paul de Vance). They canceled the night before ( most likely because not enough people signed up). We were terribly disappointed as it was too late to find a private tour. But if you book a small ship with 650 passengers it has to be expected. So we wandered around Monte Carlo ( having been several times before) and watched them set up the Monaco Grand Prix. Not so bad.

[SaltyPawz]

Question, please. I’m 60 days out from our first Haven cruise on the Escape. On my calendar, based on something I read on this thread, I marked a note to look for an email/letter from NCL pre-concierge. Is this still happening? Just curious if I should expect some kind of contact. 
 

Of note, a few months ago, I did reply to an email with our snack, drinks, and pillow preferences. Was that it, or is there typically another email/package/letter? 
 

Thanks for your insight!

[CambsCruiser82]

5 hours ago, SaltyPawz said:

Question, please. I’m 60 days out from our first Haven cruise on the Escape. On my calendar, based on something I read on this thread, I marked a note to look for an email/letter from NCL pre-concierge. Is this still happening? Just curious if I should expect some kind of contact. 
 

Of note, a few months ago, I did reply to an email with our snack, drinks, and pillow preferences. Was that it, or is there typically another email/package/letter? 
 

Thanks for your insight!

I'm 36 days out and haven;t had an email for either the preferences or the pre-cruise concierge 😞

[Sthrngary]

6 hours ago, SaltyPawz said:

Question, please. I’m 60 days out from our first Haven cruise on the Escape. On my calendar, based on something I read on this thread, I marked a note to look for an email/letter from NCL pre-concierge. Is this still happening? Just curious if I should expect some kind of contact. 
 

Of note, a few months ago, I did reply to an email with our snack, drinks, and pillow preferences. Was that it, or is there typically another email/package/letter? 
 

Thanks for your insight!

@SaltyPawz NCL is consistently, inconsistant. The letter comes sometimes and not other times.  If you have some items you want to ask for, tag me back and I will give you an email address.  The things I ask for are rather basic.  Often, many are not done when I get onboard and I simply ask my butler and Bingo, done.  So, really not that important.

 

What I would consider important are Specialty restaurant reservations and changes.  If I did not get those done on 130 days prior to cruise, I handle them pre-cruise with the Haven Desk.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Treasure Hunter]

And entertainment ( The big shows) are often arranged in the pre boarding lounge by an assistant concierge. One reason that I come to the pier on the early side. 

[Branbay]

On 9/27/2023 at 6:53 AM, CambsCruiser82 said:

I'm 36 days out and haven;t had an email for either the preferences or the pre-cruise concierge 😞

CambsCruiser,

A little off-topic topic but my wife and I took our first NCL/Haven cruise on the Escape this past July out of Miami.  If you have any questions regarding the Haven on the Escape, please fire away.  

[McGarrett5oh]

I promised to provide our honest impressions on the Prima Haven upon our return from our 14 day cruise - where we are still on board.  And I will.  
 

Before I get into the details, we are having a wonderful cruise and love the Haven, despite very poor weather and the narrative below. 
 

In the meantime, I have a question for this community.  
 

As @Sthrngary and others know, we prepared a concise, simple and specific butler letter for this cruise.  The requests were all within the standard Haven amenities and focused almost entirely on the types of snacks we prefer and what our on shore plans were so that our Butler could simply be aware of when we would be in the suite or on shore. 
 

While this is a real “first world problem” 🤨, after 12 days we have come to the opinion that our Butler, a nice fellow who has been very responsive to our simple VERBAL requests, either cannot READ English and/or has chosen not to be or is just not cognizant of the details of the letter.  His verbal English is passable.  
 

We met our Butler on Day 1, had a very nice chat, handed him the letter which included $500 up front gratuity (essentially 1/2 of what we budgeted to tip him - 2 weeks, 4 people or about $20 per person per day).  

The breaking points for us were that he would ask “Are you going on an excursion today?”, when the letter answered that question.  We also had to consistently remind him the types of snacks we had requested.  From what was initially delivered, it was apparent he was not following our requests.  
 

Furthermore, from the way that we have used his resource, he has basically just been a food delivery service for us. 
 

So here is my question.  Based on my disappointment, that I spent hours reading this thread, learning what to expect from our Butler (and not to), went to the trouble to think through and write the letter, which I thought would be as helpful to him as it would be to us, should we provide him with the remaining budgeted gratuity, some portion of it, or no more than he’s already received?   
 

We disembark on Sunday (10/1).  Thank you. 

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by McGarrett5oh
Typo

[Sthrngary]

11 minutes ago, McGarrett5oh said:

I promised to provide our honest impressions on the Prima Haven upon our return from our 14 day cruise - where we are still on board.  And I will.  
 

Before I get into the details, we are having a wonderful cruise and love the Haven, despite very poor weather and the narrative below. 
 

In the meantime, I have a question for this community.  
 

As @Sthrngary and others know, we prepared a concise, simple and specific butler letter for this cruise.  The requests were all within the standard Haven amenities and focused almost entirely on the types of snacks we prefer and what our on shore plans were so that our Butler could simply be aware of when we would be in the suite or on shore. 
 

While this is a real “first world problem” 🤨, after 12 days we have come to the opinion that our Butler, a nice fellow who has been very responsive to our simple VERBAL requests, either cannot READ English and/or has chosen not to be or is just not cognizant of the details of the letter.  His verbal English is passable.  
 

We met our Butler on Day 1, had a very nice chat, handed him the letter which included $500 up front gratuity (essentially 1/2 of what we budgeted to tip him - 2 weeks, 4 people or about $20 per person per day).  

The breaking points for us were that he would ask “Are you going on an excursion today?”, when the letter answered that question.  We also had to consistently remind him the types of snacks we had requested.  From what was initially delivered, it was apparent he was not following our requests.  
 

Furthermore, from the way that we have used his resource, he has basically just been a food delivery service for us. 
 

So here is my question.  Based on my disappointment, that I spent hours reading this thread, learning what to expect from our Butler (and not to), went to the trouble to think through and write the letter, which I thought would be as helpful to him as it would be to us, should we provide him with the remaining budgeted gratuity, some portion of it, or no more than he’s already received?   
 

We disembark on Sunday (10/1).  Thank you. 

 

@McGarrett5oh This is why I keep saying butlers are hit or miss.  You did everything you could do to control the situation.  I hate you get a less then great butler.  For $500.00 he should have been over the top.  Next time, I will cruise with you and be your butler, just kidding but not about the $500.00.

 

My answer to your question, "NO".  You paid more then enough and maybe to much.  Reading is the letter would have told the butler you needs, times and asks.  Again, I hope the rest of the trip has been pleasing. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. .  

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, McGarrett5oh said:

So here is my question.  Based on my disappointment, that I spent hours reading this thread, learning what to expect from our Butler (and not to), went to the trouble to think through and write the letter, which I thought would be as helpful to him as it would be to us, should we provide him with the remaining budgeted gratuity, some portion of it, or no more than he’s already received?  

 

My 2 cents "Five Oh"...  You budgeted in anticipation that your expectations would be met.  Apparently, the work you put into your butler letter was for naught.  I also believe naught is what you need to give any further as your requests and expectations were not met.  ($500 bucks is still a generous gratuity.)

- "Dan O"