Just off the Haven on the Escape.

[smeck]

I just debarked from the Escapes Haven.  It was a 9 out of ten a couple of things I would improve upon. 
   The Menu in the Haven never changes and gets repetitive after a few days especially if you have a less than stellar Pallet.  It’s my belief that a couple of Chefs specials in addition to the regular menu would improve the experience.  One other issue with the dining room was the length of the dining experience, your looking at two hours for dinner and a bit less for breakfast and lunch.  I do appreciate a leisurely dinner on occasion but when your on a busy cruise ships with shows, nightclubs and other entertainment options their are times when you want a expedited dinner.  I did mention we had a show to attend at a certain time it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. Having said that the food was excellent the best I have tasted on any cruise ship and we cruised pretty much all of the mass market lines. 
   The Bar service is exceptional by the beginning of your second day they know your name and personal likes.  The bartenders and support staff makes you feel right at home and like my wife said they make you feel like your at a bar named Cheers.  It was nice not waiting for a drink longer than two minutes a home run for sure. 
    The concierges are very good with expediting getting on and off the ship getting you in the shows early and arranging those hard to get reservations. 
    Our favorite spot in the Haven is the Sundeck.  No fighting for chairs, and It was terrific not having to fight the crowds.  Marco Pole as we called him and others always made sure you had beverages and whatever you needed.  The best part you didn’t wait forever for your drinks and always delivered with a smile. 

   The Butler always made sure you had snacks in your room and delivered room service.  A couple of times we used room service for breakfast when we had a early port and she was always on time and delivered white glove service.  Our Room steward kept the room immaculate and worked around our schedule perfectly. 
   The Haven lived up to its name, it certainly was a Haven from the chaotic pace of the cruise ship and worth every penny. 
   Any questions don’t hesitate to ask. 

 

[cruisekitty22]

Great review of the Haven. On our bucket list.  Was Choir of Man on your sailing and what times and days were the shows?  Thanks a million!

[chill6x6]

Thank you for your review! We will be aboard the Escape in an HA coming up in March. I agree with you it would be great if the Haven Restaurant had a nightly rotating entree or two.  We have been in the Haven on Breakaway/Getaway but never the Breakaway Plus ships so I really appreciate your comments!  

[smeck]

1 hour ago, cruisekitty22 said:

Great review of the Haven. On our bucket list.  Was Choir of Man on your sailing and what times and days were the shows?  Thanks a million!

Yes it was an excellent show lots of fun.  We saw it on the last night of the cruise figured let’s go out with a bang.  It plays at least one other night not sure of the day, two shows a night. 

[CruzinMel]

Thanks for the note!  Did you spend much time interacting with the Haven concierge?

[smeck]

We interacted with the concierge almost on a daily basis.  They escort you on and off the ship, make reservations for you,  and take you to an empty theater before a show starts for your choice of any seat in the house. Their job is to make the cruise as stress free as possible. 

[sivRVT]

21 hours ago, smeck said:

I just debarked from the Escapes Haven.  It was a 9 out of ten a couple of things I would improve upon. 
   The Menu in the Haven never changes and gets repetitive after a few days especially if you have a less than stellar Pallet.  It’s my belief that a couple of Chefs specials in addition to the regular menu would improve the experience.  One other issue with the dining room was the length of the dining experience, your looking at two hours for dinner and a bit less for breakfast and lunch.  I do appreciate a leisurely dinner on occasion but when your on a busy cruise ships with shows, nightclubs and other entertainment options their are times when you want a expedited dinner.  I did mention we had a show to attend at a certain time it didn’t seem to make much of a difference. Having said that the food was excellent the best I have tasted on any cruise ship and we cruised pretty much all of the mass market lines. 
   The Bar service is exceptional by the beginning of your second day they know your name and personal likes.  The bartenders and support staff makes you feel right at home and like my wife said they make you feel like your at a bar named Cheers.  It was nice not waiting for a drink longer than two minutes a home run for sure. 
    The concierges are very good with expediting getting on and off the ship getting you in the shows early and arranging those hard to get reservations. 
    Our favorite spot in the Haven is the Sundeck.  No fighting for chairs, and It was terrific not having to fight the crowds.  Marco Pole as we called him and others always made sure you had beverages and whatever you needed.  The best part you didn’t wait forever for your drinks and always delivered with a smile. 

   The Butler always made sure you had snacks in your room and delivered room service.  A couple of times we used room service for breakfast when we had a early port and she was always on time and delivered white glove service.  Our Room steward kept the room immaculate and worked around our schedule perfectly. 
   The Haven lived up to its name, it certainly was a Haven from the chaotic pace of the cruise ship and worth every penny. 
   Any questions don’t hesitate to ask. 

 

Thanks for the review, we are sailing on NYE in the Haven as our first cruise. Can I ask you what the embarkation was like? Where does one go when they arrive to the port?

[Pens fan]

When we were on the Joy in October they did offer a different chef's special entree in the Haven restaurant.  At least they did the nights we ate there, which wasn't every night.  It was our first time in the Haven, so I just assumed that was normal, but I guess it's ship dependent.  

[smeck]

2 hours ago, sivRVT said:

Thanks for the review, we are sailing on NYE in the Haven as our first cruise. Can I ask you what the embarkation was like? Where does one go when they arrive to the port?

Embarkation for Haven guests is quick until you hit the pavement, at that point we sat for over an hour to get out of the port then even more traffic after we exited. 

[kenzie]

17 hours ago, smeck said:

We interacted with the concierge almost on a daily basis.  They escort you on and off the ship, make reservations for you,  and take you to an empty theater before a show starts for your choice of any seat in the house. Their job is to make the cruise as stress free as possible. 

Hello,

We are in the Haven on the escape early January, the best Concierge we have had was David on the Getaway, he would take us via the back doors to all venues, especially Syd Norman, are they willing to do this on the Escape? 

[resetjet]

We are going on the Escape this 12/17/22.  We have a family villa room in the haven and party of 5.  This is our first time in the Haven.  My question is with regard to shows and eating.  This is always a problem on cruises.  I am told that they will reserve a seat for us at any show, but I assume that is not the case with dining reservations.  We are looking at making our dining reservations now, but we don't know the show schedule, and can't seem to find it online.  Does anyone have advice????

[FLcruisergrl]

6 minutes ago, resetjet said:

We are going on the Escape this 12/17/22.  We have a family villa room in the haven and party of 5.  This is our first time in the Haven.  My question is with regard to shows and eating.  This is always a problem on cruises.  I am told that they will reserve a seat for us at any show, but I assume that is not the case with dining reservations.  We are looking at making our dining reservations now, but we don't know the show schedule, and can't seem to find it online.  Does anyone have advice????

We’re on the same cruise in the Haven as well! It looks like the shows are at 7:30 and 10, so plan your specialty restaurant reservations around that. Also, whether in a specialty or the Haven, let your waitstaff know if you need to be finished by a certain time.

[detroitlions]

I am sailing soon on the Escape.

Was there Coke on board yet?

Was there anything on the standard drink list at the bars that were missing that used to be on the menu?

[resetjet]

3 hours ago, FLcruisergrl said:

We’re on the same cruise in the Haven as well! It looks like the shows are at 7:30 and 10, so plan your specialty restaurant reservations around that. Also, whether in a specialty or the Haven, let your waitstaff know if you need to be finished by a certain time.

I called the concierge, pretty much all the good specialty restaurants are full.  They sent a request to the ship to acomodate us. We will see.   Its tough to schedule dining when you don't know the time of the shows you want to see.  With all of this Free at Sea stuff, I guess everybody has specialty dining now so there is not enough capacity.  

[FLcruisergrl]

13 minutes ago, resetjet said:

I called the concierge, pretty much all the good specialty restaurants are full.  They sent a request to the ship to acomodate us. We will see.   Its tough to schedule dining when you don't know the time of the shows you want to see.  With all of this Free at Sea stuff, I guess everybody has specialty dining now so there is not enough capacity.  

That stinks. We’re doing La Cucina twice. We like it and there are enough things on the menu that we can have 2 completely different meals. Plus most of what you can get a Cagney’s or Bayamo can be replicated (or close) in the Haven. I’m personally not a fan of Le Bistro, 2 bad meals there.

Edited December 12, 2022 by FLcruisergrl

[wil e coyote]

34 minutes ago, resetjet said:

I called the concierge, pretty much all the good specialty restaurants are full.  They sent a request to the ship to acomodate us. We will see.   Its tough to schedule dining when you don't know the time of the shows you want to see.  With all of this Free at Sea stuff, I guess everybody has specialty dining now so there is not enough capacity.  

Our experience has been that the concierge can generally make things work out for dining reservations. Good luck!

[smeck]

11 hours ago, kenzie said:

Hello,

We are in the Haven on the escape early January, the best Concierge we have had was David on the Getaway, he would take us via the back doors to all venues, especially Syd Norman, are they willing to do this on the Escape? 

Not sure about Syd Normans but they escort you to the main theater. 

[kenzie]

10 hours ago, smeck said:

Not sure about Syd Normans but they escort you to the main theater. 

Yes I know they escort you to the theatre, the theatre is not a problem anyway as there are Haven reserved areas. Its the smaller venues that are more beneficial. 

[kenzie]

18 hours ago, resetjet said:

We are going on the Escape this 12/17/22.  We have a family villa room in the haven and party of 5.  This is our first time in the Haven.  My question is with regard to shows and eating.  This is always a problem on cruises.  I am told that they will reserve a seat for us at any show, but I assume that is not the case with dining reservations.  We are looking at making our dining reservations now, but we don't know the show schedule, and can't seem to find it online.  Does anyone have advice????

We have in the past always booked our restaurants as soon as we are onboard, they only release a limited amount of tables pre cruise. See the concierge when you board, they will give you an entertainment list and you can tick what you want them to book, then tell them what speciality restaurants you require, they will make it happen. You cannot reserve The Haven Restaurant at all, its a turn up and wait but we have never had to wait long. 

Hope you have wonderful cruise, we follow you early January.