Let Down on Breakaway so far

[academytim]

We are currently on the Breakaway, trying to stay positive and make the best of things…but it seems every day there are more and more disappointments. We spent an enormous amount booking a Haven Aft Penthouse. The room itself has been the highlight of the trip so far. I’m starting to wonder if my expectations were just too high having read so many peoples rave reviews about the Haven guest experience. I will 100% say that the level of service doesn’t feel any different to booking a balcony on Carnival. 
 

1) on day one, our Butler stopped in. Our toddler was needing to use the restroom. I told him it would just be a minute and he could start without me as my wife was there too. I was literally in the restroom with my son for one minute. When I came out he had already left. Didn’t show us anything about the room or the phone/etc. Didn’t ask about any of our preferences, nothing. Just “high I’m your butler, see you later.”

 

2) when we called to ask about having dinner in our suite (something I had planned on discussing with him in person earlier) I was at first told that he had too many other dinners and instead suggested we just go out. This was one of the primary reasons we booked a Haven suite as we did not want to go into formal sit down restaurants with a 2 year old. When I explained that no, we would not be going out, he reluctantly took our order. It came about an hour and a half later…which wasn’t an issue…but the filet was cooked so long it was practically jerky. 
 

3) when we saw him the next morning he asked us about snacks. I thought to myself…ok, here we go. We just started off shaky but things will be good from here. We told him 4 Specific things that we would like. BLTs, Chocolate Covered strawberries, and either some m&ms or some gummy bears for our toddler. Later in the day we all took an afternoon nap in the bedroom. When we woke up around 3, there were no snacks. No big deal, maybe they just come a little later sometimes. My wife was a little disappointed as she was really looking forward to those strawberries. At 3:30 the door bell rang. I was almost speechless when he came in with no BLTs, no strawberries. I know it might sound silly…but what is the point of asking what it is we want if you don’t plan on bringing it?

 

4) This issue isn’t really service related but a major disappointment. I had read extensively on what was closed due to covid. Nowhere I found said the kids splash pool was closed. But here we are on a 7 day cruise with a two year old, and the splash pool area for little kids is closed “because of Covid.” Which makes zero sense since kids are all packed in like sardines in the other pools. It really would have been nice to know prior to making the decision to book. 
 

All in all, these are “first world problems.” We are still on a cruise. But I can tell you there is no way what we are receiving is worth anywhere near the $7k we spent to be here. At this point the wife is so flustered with the Butler she just wants to eat at the buffet every day because she doesn’t even want to ask him for anything else. 
 

We have another 5.5 days and are going to make the best of it. Maybe things will turn around. 
 

 

[RocketMan275]

You should talk with the concierge explaining your issues.

[bigrednole]

Outside of the over-priced expense of a Haven Aft Penthouse, how is the rest of the cruise...entertainment, drinks, bars, things like that? 

 

I understand that 100% of your complaints at the moment are Haven related and covid related. One of them is due to not knowing (splash pool area). The other is an issue you can have resolved by talking to Concierge. I went in thinking that this is about the other 99.9% of things on the ship to do.

[poohdreaming]

You should speak to the Concierge or perhaps to the butler. Maybe they can assign you another butler. You paid for these services and should of receive them. Snacks - yes you should receive those items that you requested. I do not think it too much. Tell the butler what time you want these snacks. Got a few more days on the cruise, make it worth it. You can definitely eat in the Haven restaurant and anywhere you wanted to.

 

Besides this, how you enjoyed other areas of the cruise ship so far?

Did you have fun at ports? 

[academytim]

2 minutes ago, bigrednole said:

Outside of the over-priced expense of a Haven Aft Penthouse, how is the rest of the cruise...entertainment, drinks, bars, things like that? 

 

I understand that 100% of your complaints at the moment are Haven related and covid related. One of them is due to not knowing (splash pool area). The other is an issue you can have resolved by talking to Concierge. I went in thinking that this is about the other 99.9% of things on the ship to do.

There are very limited things to do on board with a 2 year old. We knew that going in. The splash pad was the primary activity we had planned on sea days. So far, that is all we’ve had as our first

port day is tomorrow. Since our room is so far away from the Haven area, we haven’t spent much time there. We walked through on the first day it didn’t seem like an area for a 2 year old. Again, we knew that going in. This was supposed to be top notch service in an amazing room, with a splash pad to play in on sea days. We have neither of those things. 
 

I’m split on whether to complain on board. I feel like with the service I’m getting…we are somehow already resented by our Butler. I imagine it would be even worse if we were to complain. I’m not the type to complain about poor service in a restaurant either. We just finish our food and don’t go back. 

[styles27]

$7k is a lot for 2 adults and a toddler for 7 days. 
 

We were upgraded for free on our first MSC cruise to the Yacht Club which I imagine is similar to the Haven on NCL. We had a butler, concierge, private area on the ship, free drinks etc. 

 

It was great,  however, when I got home and looked at what it would have cost us to book that same room I couldn’t justify the cost.
For us, for the amount of time we were actually in the YC it just didn’t add up. Was it a great cruise? Absolutely!

We sailed in an aft balcony the next cruise on MSC same ship (Divina) and had just as good a time.

 

I really didn’t use the butler services I don’t need someone to unpack my clothes and pack them up again and I like getting my own coffee in the morning. 🤷🏻‍♀️
 

I hope your cruise experience in the Haven gets better. I would definitely have a conversation with the concierge as others have suggested. 

[FLcruisergrl]

Some tips for the future…we just got off the Dawn in the Garden Villa. I had prepared a letter for our butler. It had our likes, our dislikes, our schedule, and our expectations. He LOVED it. It was something he could take with him and refer back to. As far as the dinners go, it is very important to plan en suite dining as far in advance as possible. For us, it meant outlining those days in our letter and then providing the meal requests (if it was dinner) the morning of. For breakfast, we’d simply leave a note with our menu the night before. For the snacks, I’d have a little patience-he likely plans to bring them on other days. One thing we’ve done previously is leave a note in the morning letting the butler know what snack we specifically wanted that afternoon. Communication is definitely key and will make things much easier. I know it sounds like a lot of advance planning, but that makes things easier for the butler and you will be more likely to get what you want. Unfortunately, they have multiple rooms and they have to juggle everything.

Edited March 28, 2022 by FLcruisergrl

[Two Wheels Only]

So far, this seems to be a butler problem more than a Haven or NCL problem. 

 

1) It is unknown how the conversation went but if the spouse didn't feel comfortable explaining the expectations nor asking the right questions, this might have been an example of how using a written note can be more effective. 

 

2) Again, this is on the butler. For the aft-facing suites, 1 butler (unfortunately) covers all of them. It is still no excuse as the BA Plus ships have more suites for the butler and our butlers have had no problem delivering meals for us. 

 

3) Everything that you asked for was standard. Actually, it was less than standard so your request (and more) should have easily been handled. As for the time, after 3pm is fairly normal unless an earlier time is specified. 

 

I've also sailed in an aft-facing Haven Suite when my younger child was only 2. The butler had no problem filling her snack requests even if what she wanted wasn't the "normal" snack for that day. The butler got to know what we/she liked and brought us more than we could finish. BLT triangles were delivered daily as well as the other snacks. 

 

32 minutes ago, academytim said:

At this point the wife is so flustered with the Butler she just wants to eat at the buffet every day because she doesn’t even want to ask him for anything else. 

 

That would be a huge mistake. Your best option is to voice your concerns/complaints to the concierge or higher. It is YOUR vacation, not the butler's. Asking for less or nothing makes his life easier, not yours. 

 

11 minutes ago, academytim said:

I imagine it would be even worse if we were to complain.

 

It will never get resolved if you don't complain. 

 

Some Haven guests never ask for anything. That's fine for them and if not interacting with the butler suits them, it's all good. You came in with certain (reasonable) expectations and those expectations are not being met. The Splash area problem can't be handled with a complaint so you can only hope for the best there but the butler problem is something that should be fixed sooner rather than later. 

 

13 minutes ago, styles27 said:

We were upgraded for free on our first MSC cruise to the Yacht Club which I imagine is similar to the Haven on NCL. We had a butler, concierge, private area on the ship, free drinks etc. 

 

I've made many posts comparing MSC Yacht Club and NCL Haven. Each has certain advantages over the other but I enjoy both. Butler service is better on MSC than it is on NCL but I've never had a "bad" or even "mediocre" butler on NCL. Others, including the OP, have not been so lucky. 

 

[Pitzel]

We have had butlers twice on NCL. The first one, Jennifer, was amazing! She treated our child as if he was her own and made our vacation super special. If she saw us coming down the hallway, she would run ahead and unlock and open our door for us. Our kiddo had a meltdown at dinner one night, so we decided to head back to the room. She learned about this and had new dinners brought to our suite and served us there so that we could still enjoy a lovely dinner while our kiddo wound down. She even brought in a cooler full of ice and kept it stocked with cartons of milk and chocolate milk, brought in special snacks for us (pineapple slices and PB&J sandwiches), and made sure that we didn’t want for anything. Amazing! Even though this was 8 years ago, we still keep in touch online and we always ask her which ship she will be on next. 
 

Our second butler was fine, but not nearly as proactive. We did leave specific instructions and written notes, though, that helped a ton. We didn’t get as many “special” touches, but we found that service was adequate. We also worked with our room steward to take care of any requests that were not specifically handled by the butler (extra glassware, additional ice, towel animals, etc.). By expressing our needs and wants, we still had a good vacation. By having a great first butler, we also knew what was possible to ask for. 

[oteixeira]

1. Ask what happened.  Ask again about dinner, ask what day is better for him/her.
2.  Call the Concierge stat, you need to fix this.
3.  Curious, did you tip on day one?  I find giving part of the tip at the start helps grease the wheels.

Please don't give up, it's a vacation, it's OK to ask for what you should be receiving.  

[SuiteTraveler]

Don't miss The Haven Restaurant for Breakfast.  One option is to sit at a table outside with your child - a perfect compromise to enjoy eating out!  It's a great breakfast with fabulous choices and will get your day started right.  They have highchairs to accommodate your child and the waiters and waitresses will be very kind.  Tahitian French Vanilla Toast is phenomenal but if you order it from your butler you miss the buffet with fruit, cheese, smoked salmon and more!  So at least give it a try tomorrow and see if you don't enjoy dining al fresco at The Haven Restaurant.

 

As far as the snacks go, they are standardized.  On the first day it is canapés.  There are days with tea sandwiches, cheese and crackers, sliced fruit, cookies and a few other items.  I vaguely remember getting chocolate covered strawberries one day. But, I don't know if they actually have chocolate covered strawberries on a daily basis.  However, on days that items you want are not standard, then you have to call and specifically order them from the butler . Butlers are busy delivering food around mealtime and delivering snacks around 3 or so, so I would call the butler around 2pm to make the request and ask it be delivered with the snacks. this gives him plenty of time to get it for you.  Then, IF he arrives without it, politely tell him your order is missing.  I'm pretty sure he will fix the problem ASAP.  If not, you have good reason to complain.

 

M&M's and gummy bears are normally available near the concierge area in The Haven.  Typically they are outside in bowls by The Haven pool (prior to Covid.)  Look for them out there on a table.  If they are not out there, they may have been discontinued due to Covid.   That could be why the butler didn't bring them. They are not really a room service item, per se.  If they are not there, ask one of the waiters from The Haven Restaurant for some to take to your room and you will then find out if they were discontinued or not.  

 

Here is a handy link to all of the 2022 menus: https://profcruise.com/norwegian-dining-and-restaurant-menus-2022/

 

As far as steak goes on a cruise ship, always order the steak less cooked than what you think you want.  For some reason, I have had great luck with this strategy and the steak comes the way I want it.  However, I will say, just about anything other than steak is usually better on a cruise ship, so you might consider ordering the pork or lamb or veal or chicken or lobster instead.

 

[hallux]

3 hours ago, academytim said:

4) This issue isn’t really service related but a major disappointment. I had read extensively on what was closed due to covid. Nowhere I found said the kids splash pool was closed. But here we are on a 7 day cruise with a two year old, and the splash pool area for little kids is closed “because of Covid.” Which makes zero sense since kids are all packed in like sardines in the other pools. It really would have been nice to know prior to making the decision to book. 

I'm not sure I 'buy' this explanation.  I was on the Joy last week (March 19 sailing) and the kid's aqua park was very much open.  I'm sure the areas are quite different (though they're named the same), but to have one open while another is closed due to COVID seems odd.

 

25 minutes ago, SuiteTraveler said:

As far as steak goes on a cruise ship, always order the steak less cooked than what you think you want.

You might think, but I ordered a steak in Cagney's, asked for medium and even someone who likes medium rare thought it looked a little undercooked.

[fastpitchdad]

3 hours ago, academytim said:

There are very limited things to do on board with a 2 year old. We knew that going in. The splash pad was the primary activity we had planned on sea days. So far, that is all we’ve had as our first

port day is tomorrow. Since our room is so far away from the Haven area, we haven’t spent much time there. We walked through on the first day it didn’t seem like an area for a 2 year old. Again, we knew that going in. This was supposed to be top notch service in an amazing room, with a splash pad to play in on sea days. We have neither of those things. 
 

I’m split on whether to complain on board. I feel like with the service I’m getting…we are somehow already resented by our Butler. I imagine it would be even worse if we were to complain. I’m not the type to complain about poor service in a restaurant either. We just finish our food and don’t go back. 

 

If you can't make good use of the Haven area and priority services the extra money for the Haven probably isn't worth it, especially with a Butler that isn't being attentive. I would explain to the concierge your entire situation and that you chose the Haven because you would be spending a lot of time in your room with your toddler including meals and that specifically is why you chose the Haven. 

[mtrancher]

We sailed on the Getaway in 2020 in an Aft cabin. Similar to you we absolutely loved the room and layout. Also similar to you we had some resistance from our Butler starting on day 1. He encouraged us to only order room service from the regular menu, not the Haven, and when we were hosting a lunch for our group (all Haven class paid fares) he resisted bringing anything else than regular room service items. I came to find out he had a large party of folks that had all booked most of the other Haven aft suites and he was largely preoccupied with many of their demands. After seeing the group use the Haven area once... I somewhat understood.

However, just as you, I paid a decent price to have the Haven experience, so we spoke to the concierge who was very empathic, agreed that was not what should be expected nor the type of service they want to deliver. After that discussion we had zero issues and everything was done as expected or better.

While many may see speaking to the concierge as a confrontation, you have to understand NCL, the staff and especially the Haven people cannot improve if the don't know where they are failing. So it's all about how you communicate your thoughts and wishes to them. Polite and direct go a long way. Give it a try, I doubt you will be sorry.

Finally, as for the distance to the Haven from the room, we found it to be less than a five minute walk as long as you went down a hallway of just rooms. Consequently we never felt as though we couldn't just pop in for a few minutes or hours. The lounge pool on the Getaway would have been perfect for a toddler to splash in under parental supervision.

I hope your cruise improves and you get to feel the experience the Haven staff as a whole tries to deliver.

[ColeThornton]

19 hours ago, academytim said:

I’m split on whether to complain on board. I feel like with the service I’m getting…we are somehow already resented by our Butler. I imagine it would be even worse if we were to complain. I’m not the type to complain about poor service in a restaurant either. We just finish our food and don’t go back. 

 

Not trying to sound snarky but on board is exactly the place to complain.   Coming here and telling us about your woes isn't going to change anything for the duration of your cruise.   Hope it gets better after you talk to the Concierge.

[mtrancher]

4 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

Not trying to sound snarky but on board is exactly the place to complain.   Coming here and telling us about your woes isn't going to change anything for the duration of your cruise.   Hope it gets better after you talk to the Concierge.

I think the original poster might have meant, on board the ship, while sailing. Possibly worried the service from the butler would have some retaliatory effects after receive the complaints. 

[Paphillyguy]

If you have any issue go to the concierge and voice your concerns and what you expect.  

[Laszlo]

20 hours ago, academytim said:

We are currently on the Breakaway, trying to stay positive and make the best of things…but it seems every day there are more and more disappointments. We spent an enormous amount booking a Haven Aft Penthouse. The room itself has been the highlight of the trip so far. I’m starting to wonder if my expectations were just too high having read so many peoples rave reviews about the Haven guest experience. I will 100% say that the level of service doesn’t feel any different to booking a balcony on Carnival. 
 

1) on day one, our Butler stopped in. Our toddler was needing to use the restroom. I told him it would just be a minute and he could start without me as my wife was there too. I was literally in the restroom with my son for one minute. When I came out he had already left. Didn’t show us anything about the room or the phone/etc. Didn’t ask about any of our preferences, nothing. Just “high I’m your butler, see you later.”

 

2) when we called to ask about having dinner in our suite (something I had planned on discussing with him in person earlier) I was at first told that he had too many other dinners and instead suggested we just go out. This was one of the primary reasons we booked a Haven suite as we did not want to go into formal sit down restaurants with a 2 year old. When I explained that no, we would not be going out, he reluctantly took our order. It came about an hour and a half later…which wasn’t an issue…but the filet was cooked so long it was practically jerky. 
 

3) when we saw him the next morning he asked us about snacks. I thought to myself…ok, here we go. We just started off shaky but things will be good from here. We told him 4 Specific things that we would like. BLTs, Chocolate Covered strawberries, and either some m&ms or some gummy bears for our toddler. Later in the day we all took an afternoon nap in the bedroom. When we woke up around 3, there were no snacks. No big deal, maybe they just come a little later sometimes. My wife was a little disappointed as she was really looking forward to those strawberries. At 3:30 the door bell rang. I was almost speechless when he came in with no BLTs, no strawberries. I know it might sound silly…but what is the point of asking what it is we want if you don’t plan on bringing it?

 

4) This issue isn’t really service related but a major disappointment. I had read extensively on what was closed due to covid. Nowhere I found said the kids splash pool was closed. But here we are on a 7 day cruise with a two year old, and the splash pool area for little kids is closed “because of Covid.” Which makes zero sense since kids are all packed in like sardines in the other pools. It really would have been nice to know prior to making the decision to book. 
 

All in all, these are “first world problems.” We are still on a cruise. But I can tell you there is no way what we are receiving is worth anywhere near the $7k we spent to be here. At this point the wife is so flustered with the Butler she just wants to eat at the buffet every day because she doesn’t even want to ask him for anything else. 
 

We have another 5.5 days and are going to make the best of it. Maybe things will turn around. 
 

 

Don't call anyone...... Walk down and talk to the Concierge face to face. Explain the issues in a calm manner. I'm willing to bet you service will be corrected

 

Nothing you asked for is close to out of line, almost standard

[academytim]

1 hour ago, mtrancher said:

I think the original poster might have meant, on board the ship, while sailing. Possibly worried the service from the butler would have some retaliatory effects after receive the complaints. 

This is it precisely. I’m going to see if things get any better going forward. Last night while bringing our dinner he again made comments about how far away the Haven restaurant is. He didn’t actually say “please order somewhere else” but he made it very clear that it was an inconvenience for him. I very plainly told him that I understood, but we had paid an enormous amount of money to be able to eat from that restaurant. He seemed to understand what I was saying so hopefully that’s the end of that. 
 

Today before leaving to go ashore I left a note detailing exactly what we wanted in regards to snacks, as well as our dinner order along with the time we wanted it. There is no excuse now so we will see how it goes. 
 

If that doesn’t correct things I will speak to the concierge. 

[academytim]

Just got back onto the ship to a table full. Strawberry’s, blts, gummy bears, m&ms, and about two pounds of grapes. I think the morning note will resolve the issues. 

[lgdesign]

Firm, polite, crystal clear and in writing... excellent move.

[apietros]

1 hour ago, academytim said:

Just got back onto the ship to a table full. Strawberry’s, blts, gummy bears, m&ms, and about two pounds of grapes. I think the morning note will resolve the issues. 

Our last cruise was on the Gem in the Garden Villa.  I am allergic to walnuts.  We told our Butler multiple times and I had it written down for him as well.  He delivered snacks with walnuts to our room not once, not twice, but three times!  After the first time, we politely reminded him.  After the second time, my husband went down and talked with Anoop (our fav concierge).  Unfortunately, after the third time, Anoop assigned us a new butler.  He could not have been more apologetic.  I understand preferences and allergies are two different things, but please don't feel funny about speaking to the concierge. It can be done in a non-hostile way and your issues can be resolved professionally.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[atexsix]

I'm sure some butlers are very good at their job, but it always sounded gimmicky to me.  I've read other reviews where they didn't do much more than a regular steward, which begs the question, do they even know what it means to be a butler?  Or are they stateroom attendants with a fancier title? 

2 hours ago, academytim said:

This is it precisely. I’m going to see if things get any better going forward. Last night while bringing our dinner he again made comments about how far away the Haven restaurant is. He didn’t actually say “please order somewhere else” but he made it very clear that it was an inconvenience for him. I very plainly told him that I understood, but we had paid an enormous amount of money to be able to eat from that restaurant. He seemed to understand what I was saying so hopefully that’s the end of that. 
 

Today before leaving to go ashore I left a note detailing exactly what we wanted in regards to snacks, as well as our dinner order along with the time we wanted it. There is no excuse now so we will see how it goes. 
 

If that doesn’t correct things I will speak to the concierge. 

how far away the Haven restaurant is?!  Unacceptable!  I'd ask for someone else immediately.  Especially at those price points.  

[Sailing12Away]

Speaking from a similar first time Haven experience myself, 100% absolutely go speak to the concierge now while still on board. I waited until we got home to write a letter to complain about our experience and they gave me a $500 credit towards a future cruise as compensation. I would have preferred to have had a better vacation than the measly $500.

 

Once you're home, all that will happen is you'll send in a letter stating why you were unhappy. They'll wait exactly 30 days to reply. Then they'll give you the cut/paste answer we all get (we can compare notes if you want when that letter arrives) saying how sorry they are and blah blah blah.

 

We too had swore off the whole Haven experience because of that first bad butler we had. Then we decided to give it another go, and every time since then has been night and day difference. Speak up now, and be specific if you can with what it is you want. "Please have xxx snacks brought to the room by 2pm." 

 

*Edit - see that you did exactly just that and it seems to be working. Fingers crossed the 2nd half of the trip is better than the first.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Sailing12Away

[Laszlo]

3 hours ago, academytim said:

This is it precisely. I’m going to see if things get any better going forward. Last night while bringing our dinner he again made comments about how far away the Haven restaurant is. He didn’t actually say “please order somewhere else” but he made it very clear that it was an inconvenience for him. I very plainly told him that I understood, but we had paid an enormous amount of money to be able to eat from that restaurant. He seemed to understand what I was saying so hopefully that’s the end of that. 
 

Today before leaving to go ashore I left a note detailing exactly what we wanted in regards to snacks, as well as our dinner order along with the time we wanted it. There is no excuse now so we will see how it goes. 
 

If that doesn’t correct things I will speak to the concierge. 

Our last cruise my wife and I were in the Haven (Haven Proper) or whatever you want to call it. One sea day we went to the Haven restaurant on the Escape about 8am. All I wanted was a BLT. It was not on the menu but I thought it would be pretty simple to order. I got a song and dance about how they are not made in the Haven restaurant and it could be up to an hour wait. I laughed and said you have to be kidding. I told my wife to order and I'll be back in 10 minutes. I walked down the the buffet, made myself and BLT put it on a plate and walked back to the Haven restaurant and sat down. Our waitress was bewildered Lol