Let Down on Breakaway so far

[academytim]

Dinner came right on time. Hoping the rest of the cruise goes the same. Will chalk this up to just getting off on the wrong foot. I didn’t write a letter because I had planned to just speak with him in person on the first day. That not happening I think put a damper on the first couple of days. I think it will be smooth sailing from here on out. 

[mtrancher]

14 minutes ago, academytim said:

Dinner came right on time. Hoping the rest of the cruise goes the same. Will chalk this up to just getting off on the wrong foot. I didn’t write a letter because I had planned to just speak with him in person on the first day. That not happening I think put a damper on the first couple of days. I think it will be smooth sailing from here on out. 

Congratulations!! While you shouldn't have had to push that hard, it sounds as though you got your point across and in a polite yet firm way. I wish I could remember the name of our butler... it sounds like the same one.

We are doing a Panama Canal cruise in February, on the Bliss in a Haven Aft Deck. It'll be interesting to see if we face the same issue again or if as some other reviews go... we have zero issues.

Either way I love sailing in the Haven as they always seem to me to be working hard to make my day better.

 

Cheers!

[Two Wheels Only]

2 hours ago, atexsix said:

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? 

 

"All of The Haven's butlers receive formal training by the International Institute of Modern Butlers" - NCL

[FM]

11 hours ago, academytim said:

Dinner came right on time. Hoping the rest of the cruise goes the same. Will chalk this up to just getting off on the wrong foot. I didn’t write a letter because I had planned to just speak with him in person on the first day. That not happening I think put a damper on the first couple of days. I think it will be smooth sailing from here on out. 

Good to see that it looks like it'll be smooth sailings ahead, so to speak.

 

It seems from reading other's experiences with the Haven that providing an introductory letter or note to your butler with what your requests, plans etc are for the week is something one should consider.  Not sure what the butler/number of Haven staterooms ratio is, but unless they have a note pad with them at the time of introduction it would be difficult to remember each families likes, dislikes etc.  

 

Hope to hear how the rest of your week turns out.  Have a great time!

[oteixeira]

2 minutes ago, FM said:

Good to see that it looks like it'll be smooth sailings ahead, so to speak.

 

It seems from reading other's experiences with the Haven that providing an introductory letter or note to your butler with what your requests, plans etc are for the week is something one should consider.  Not sure what the butler/number of Haven staterooms ratio is, but unless they have a note pad with them at the time of introduction it would be difficult to remember each families likes, dislikes etc.  

 

Hope to hear how the rest of your week turns out.  Have a great time!

I have asked on a few of my cruises and it seems to consistently be 10 rooms per Butler.

[dexddd]

On 3/28/2022 at 4:18 PM, 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. 
 

 

This is not unusual what you are experiencing.  We sailed BA in the best room on the ship a few years back and it was a disappointment.  Plus the room leaked noise terribly from the room next door.

Service everywhere not good.  Ship had a overall negative funk to it.

 

One regular poster will likely show a table with snacks like you asked for.  That is not typical.  Often you can ask for treats but you may or may not get those but may get canapes that are not good.

 

Not making excuses, but on BA we were told all Haven snacks had to go through front butler pantry so it is a haul for them to the aft.

[academytim]

Today is another so far so good day. Snacks waiting for us on our return to port. Exactly what we had asked for. Dinner should be arriving in about an hour. 

[luckyinpa]

sometimes i think it's a language barrier, i barely could understand my butler and who knows if he understands me. i'm sure my 'accent' is just as bad to him. 1st day i just write on paper the 3 or 4 snacks i want so there's def no misunderstanding there. last trip i literally used him for nothing else. didnt see him all week till he came to the door for his tip last morning. not too classy in my opinion but oh well. 

[Dawg67]

We just got off the Breakaway (27 March).  The ship ran out of red wine by the third day.  The only red wine on the menu offered was Chanti.  Service was very bad in Cagney’s.  Don’t see how a ship runs out of red wine.

[HBCcruiser]

4 minutes ago, Dawg67 said:

We just got off the Breakaway (27 March).  The ship ran out of red wine by the third day.  The only red wine on the menu offered was Chanti.  Service was very bad in Cagney’s.  Don’t see how a ship runs out of red wine.

😱😱There’d be mutiny if I was onboard! 

Edited April 3, 2022 by HBCcruiser

[oteixeira]

On 3/30/2022 at 6:39 PM, academytim said:

Today is another so far so good day. Snacks waiting for us on our return to port. Exactly what we had asked for. Dinner should be arriving in about an hour. 

All great news, my only comment is please make sure you tip accordingly.  They have now fixed all your issues and are doing a great job it sounds like!  :)

[tgloersen]

As most have stated talking to the concierge is a very good fist step.  All the butlers reprot to him/her.  

 

If still not happy with the service definetly go to customer service and ask to speak with a manager.  I had to do this a few times on our BA cruise.  I had a meeting with the officers in the conferance room and it did good.  I was very nice at explaing my concerns, and they did a good job at making right.  They need to know.  Way to much $$$ to spend just to let it go.

[janice2348]

On 3/28/2022 at 4:57 PM, FLcruisergrl said:

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.

We did the same. It really helped the butler know our expectations. If you are not satisfied with your butler, speak up. Speak to the concierge in a calm and direct manner.  That usually resolves things. Butlers can be very different. Our first butler, on the Pride of America, was a bit like yours. We felt intimidated.  Our other butler, on the Jade, was amazing!  You are paying a lot of money.  Don’t be afraid to speak up!  Ask that another butler be assigned to you by the hotel manager.  

Edited April 3, 2022 by janice2348

[cruiseinfoseeker]

On 3/29/2022 at 5:21 PM, atexsix said:

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

I totally agree with you. 

The butlers should not be guilt tripping the customer. And I've read comment from others numerous times so i think this happens often enough that every concierge should have advised their staff to keep the complaints to themselves. If they don't like their room assignments or what NCL haven amenities are, that is an internal matter.

I can understand someone not wanting to complain on the cruise because the butler makes passive-aggressive statements trying to ease their own burden and it gives off an uncomfortable vibe. I'd be uncomfortable around them even further if I complained to concierge. (I know it's the best thing to do; i.just know how I would feel)

 

[academytim]

1 hour ago, cruiseinfoseeker said:

I totally agree with you. 

The butlers should not be guilt tripping the customer. And I've read comment from others numerous times so i think this happens often enough that every concierge should have advised their staff to keep the complaints to themselves. If they don't like their room assignments or what NCL haven amenities are, that is an internal matter.

I can understand someone not wanting to complain on the cruise because the butler makes passive-aggressive statements trying to ease their own burden and it gives off an uncomfortable vibe. I'd be uncomfortable around them even further if I complained to concierge. (I know it's the best thing to do; i.just know how I would feel)

 

This is correct. The service did correct itself after my last update. But like you said, I was still uncomfortable from that point forward. I still tipped him as I would have normally…it’s just unfortunate that it was our first impression as it set the mood for the rest of the week. 

[NYFirstTimeCruiser]

On 3/29/2022 at 12:28 PM, mtrancher said:

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.

If NCL is reading CC posts, they should staff up Haven as all issues seem to be overworked butlers handling more rooms that they can handle - leading to customer UNsatisfaction.  These workers are nice people.  Overwork them and the issues arise and spills over to the customer.  NCL - wake up - staff-up more for Haven.  if you don't have enough trained butlers, get some from the main cabins to assist the butlers. 

[atexsix]

2 hours ago, cruiseinfoseeker said:

I totally agree with you. 

The butlers should not be guilt tripping the customer. And I've read comment from others numerous times so i think this happens often enough that every concierge should have advised their staff to keep the complaints to themselves. If they don't like their room assignments or what NCL haven amenities are, that is an internal matter.

I can understand someone not wanting to complain on the cruise because the butler makes passive-aggressive statements trying to ease their own burden and it gives off an uncomfortable vibe. I'd be uncomfortable around them even further if I complained to concierge. (I know it's the best thing to do; i.just know how I would feel)

 

I agree with you there.  People could make snide remarks, but then you have to face them every day, they would know who the "troublemakers" are and they could really give you an awful experience if they wanted to.  With that being said, they need to stop calling them butlers.  These aren't butlers.  They are glorified room stewards with probably a much cushier job.  I would still tip, but the minimum, not the $50 bills I hand out to the real room attendants on top of it.  

[raschueller]

On 3/28/2022 at 4:31 PM, 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.

I was just off the breakaway. Here is what I would say.

 

Bar staff was great. We had premium plus (chose that over Haven). Never waited more than a few moments for a drink. Got upgraded bottles a few times. Had the following: best sidecar and best brown sugar mohito I have ever had. 

 

Food was good. Best was Le Bistro but La Cuchina was really good. We were scheduled to eat at Cagneys after complaints we switched. Glad we did. Shanghai was great as well. Only real terrible thing was breakfast. It was bad everywhere.

 

Overall we had a great time. Loved our Aft Cabin. 9322

 

 

[raschueller]

On 4/3/2022 at 8:29 AM, Dawg67 said:

We just got off the Breakaway (27 March).  The ship ran out of red wine by the third day.  The only red wine on the menu offered was Chanti.  Service was very bad in Cagney’s.  Don’t see how a ship runs out of red wine.

Just got off Sunday and.... last night.