Haven restaurant

[UKstages]

2 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

The Gem and Pearl don't really have a dedicated Haven restaurant, do they?  They offer Haven guests exclusive access to Cagney's or Moderno for breakfast and lunch, but that isn't the same experience as some of the larger ships which do have a separate restaurant in the Haven area, with its own unique menu.

 

no, they don't have a dedicated haven restaurant. but it is the same experience. the bird seems to have noticed slight differences in the menu. i haven't. as for the "dedicated" concept... it is dedicated for that meal service and the staff know your names and your preferences after the first meal service or two. so, i would say that it is indeed the same experience.

 

you are correct that they offer access to moderno for breakfast (typically) and cagney's for lunch (typically), but it's not exclusive. suite guests are invited, too.

 

41 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

But they don't serve dinner in a separate Haven restaurant on the Gem and Pearl, do they?  If not, I'm not sure I would call it the same experience as on the Epic, a Breakaway or B+ ship, or the Pr1ma class ships.

 

that is correct. haven guests are on their own for dinner on smaller ships without a haven restaurant. but what you were saying in post #19, in response to a comment about the haven lunch menu, is that it wasn't the same experience because the larger ships have their own restaurant with their own unique menu.

 

and what we're saying in response is, no, it's essentially the same menu and the same dining experience on the smaller ships... for breakfast and lunch.  in fact sometimes, it's better. i haven't been in a haven yet that prepared the mushroom flatbread as well as they do on the gem. and when you do venture out for dinner, if you go to cagney's or moderno, you're greeted warmly and treated like a regular customer from the old neighborhood.

 

Edited April 28 by UKstages

[Sailing12Away]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

How many nights have you eaten in the Haven Restaurant?

8 different trips, about 70 total nights we could have eaten there. I don't eat seafood so that eliminate a lot of the menu choices for me, so we usually only go 2-3 times each trip. I prefer food options outside of the Haven. We don't book it for the food.

 

What difference does it make though? You've eaten there 100+ times and love it, I've eaten there <20 and tolerate it. 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

What difference does it make though? 

 

The point was that rather than discussing your personal experience (e.g., You don't eat seafood and the Haven menu has a lot of seafood items), you made a statement that "you read on the internet that people don't like fixed menus". 

 

So now it is unclear how a rotating menu would fix the fact that Haven menu has seafood and that you only tolerate what is on the non-seafood menu.

 

Haven Entrees

Seafood

Pan-Seared Steelhead Trout

Crab Cakes

Surf (Lobster Tail) and Turf 

 

Non-Seafood

surf and Turf (Filet Mignon)

Double-Cut Pork Chop

Herb-Crusted Rotisserie Chicken

Roasted Prime Rib au Jus (Cagney's Prime Rib brought up to the Haven)

Grilled New York Strip Steak 

Pork Loin Scallopini

Pancetta Wrapped Lamb Chops

Spinach and Egg Yolk Raviolo

[ryarger]

5 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Am I remembering this correctly? I recall when we first starting sailing in the Haven (2013 or so) Haven passengers didn’t have to pay gratuities on the beverage package or specialty restaurants. They also included 5 nights of specialty restaurants. For that reason, during that period we only ate in the Haven a few nights each cruise! 

Not to mention how reasonable the prices were then… 

You are remembering correctly. Haven was exempted from the gratuity charge on the FAS package plus at that time, FAS had 4 specialty dinners for a 7-night sailing.

 

Our 2014 sailing was one of the last ones where the dining package was truly “unlimited”. You could go to any specialty as many times as you wanted. They’d even hawk it with the idea of going to one restaurant for your appetizer, another for main, and then a third for dessert; or having two (or more) full meals.

 

Those were the days!

[Two Wheels Only]

36 minutes ago, ryarger said:

You are remembering correctly. Haven was exempted from the gratuity charge on the FAS package plus at that time, FAS had 4 specialty dinners for a 7-night sailing.

 

FAS dining promo went from unlimited uses to 4 uses to 3 uses to 2 uses for a 7 night cruise. 

 

Haven/Suite guests were charged the (then 18%) service charge on the promos starting in June 2017. 

Edited April 29 by Two Wheels Only

[roddy good boy]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

FAS dining promo went from unlimited uses to 4 uses to 3 uses to 2 uses for a 7 night cruise. 

 

Haven/Suite guests were charged the (then 18%) service charge on the promos starting in June 2017. 

Ah, yes! I remember it well! 😁

 

I’m  going to have to set my husband’s expectations this Fall. He’s still stuck in yesteryear…when he could get multiple entrees. We’ve been taking land vacations since winter 2018 (pre-Covid).

Edited April 29 by roddy good boy

[Sailing12Away]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

The point was that rather than discussing your personal experience (e.g., You don't eat seafood and the Haven menu has a lot of seafood items), you made a statement that "you read on the internet that people don't like fixed menus". 

 

So now it is unclear how a rotating menu would fix the fact that Haven menu has seafood and that you only tolerate what is on the non-seafood menu.

 

Haven Entrees

Seafood

Pan-Seared Steelhead Trout

Crab Cakes

Surf (Lobster Tail) and Turf 

 

Non-Seafood

surf and Turf (Filet Mignon)

Double-Cut Pork Chop

Herb-Crusted Rotisserie Chicken

Roasted Prime Rib au Jus (Cagney's Prime Rib brought up to the Haven)

Grilled New York Strip Steak 

Pork Loin Scallopini

Pancetta Wrapped Lamb Chops

Spinach and Egg Yolk Raviolo

Stop putting words in my mouth that I never said. I have no problem speaking for myself without you interpreting for me. I didn't read anything on the Internet, I, me, didn't like specifically the Haven fixed menu. Which is why I said on a discussion group where people share opinions that it's the worst part about the Haven.

 

Not that it's any of your business about my specific dietary restrictions or limitations, but I also don't eat pork or egg yolks. Or lamb. So yeah, stay in your lane.

[dexddd]

15 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Am I remembering this correctly? I recall when we first starting sailing in the Haven (2013 or so) Haven passengers didn’t have to pay gratuities on the beverage package or specialty restaurants. They also included 5 nights of specialty restaurants. For that reason, during that period we only ate in the Haven a few nights each cruise! 

Not to mention how reasonable the prices were then… 

That is correct about grats.

Edited April 29 by dexddd

[cruiseny4life]

16 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

The point was that rather than discussing your personal experience (e.g., You don't eat seafood and the Haven menu has a lot of seafood items), you made a statement that "you read on the internet that people don't like fixed menus". 

 

So now it is unclear how a rotating menu would fix the fact that Haven menu has seafood and that you only tolerate what is on the non-seafood menu.

 

Haven Entrees

Seafood

Pan-Seared Steelhead Trout

Crab Cakes

Surf (Lobster Tail) and Turf 

 

Non-Seafood

surf and Turf (Filet Mignon)

Double-Cut Pork Chop

Herb-Crusted Rotisserie Chicken

Roasted Prime Rib au Jus (Cagney's Prime Rib brought up to the Haven)

Grilled New York Strip Steak 

Pork Loin Scallopini

Pancetta Wrapped Lamb Chops

Spinach and Egg Yolk Raviolo

Thank you for posting these items in a quick to read format. Next time, I need to try the trout, chicken, and raviolo. Then I'll have tried everything on the Haven's dinner menu. Mmmmm....Haven, I need you back in my life! 

 

The best? The Pancetta Wrapped Lamb Chops, followed by the Double-cut Pork Chop. Oh, my goodness, some of the best meals I've ever had in entirety of my life. Not every time, mind you...wouldn't say the same when I tried these on Pr1ma, but on Getaway and Joy. Oh yes!

[The Traveling Man]

20 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Am I remembering this correctly? I recall when we first starting sailing in the Haven (2013 or so) Haven passengers didn’t have to pay gratuities on the beverage package or specialty restaurants. They also included 5 nights of specialty restaurants. For that reason, during that period we only ate in the Haven a few nights each cruise! 

Not to mention how reasonable the prices were then… 

I'm not sure about 2013.  Our first Haven experience was February 2016.  We were on a 14 day cruise, so as I recall we received three nights of specialty dining.  We paid full gratuities on our beverage package, plus the DSC on Haven staterooms was a bit higher than the DSC for other cabins.  We were informed that the concierge and butler do not participate in the distribution of gratuities from the DSC, so we were encouraged to offer additional tips to them.  I think we ate about ten of our evening meals in the Haven dining room.  We may eaten one night in O'Sheehan's.  My birthday occurred during the cruise, so we had dinner that night in Moderno.  Our Haven maitre d, Nicola, took time out from his Haven duties to stop by Moderno and join the birthday bash.  We have sailed with him a couple of times since then and he always has greeted us warmly and provided excellent service.

[wolft927]

On 4/27/2024 at 5:15 PM, roddy good boy said:

I don’t really like the Haven lunch menu, so sometimes we’ll go to the Manhattan, O’Sheeans or even buffet for lunch. My children are no longer teens, and don’t often vacation with us now,  but they really didn’t care for the haven lunch.

We rarely eat lunch in the Haven, not saying it’s bad but we never want a real heavy lunch. But as far as dinner goes we have never had an issue with the menus not changing. 2 specialty dining plus 5 dinners in Haven never eat the same meal twice unless of course we want to. By the way the pork chops in the Haven are the best I ever had 

[IAcruising]

On 4/28/2024 at 7:41 PM, BirdTravels said:

So now it is unclear how a rotating menu would fix the fact that Haven menu has seafood and that you only tolerate what is on the non-seafood menu.

 

Wait. What? Is the Bird saying that the Haven restaurant should not have a rotating menu? That is the single most posted complaint about the Haven. And you agree with it?

 

[cruiseny4life]

11 hours ago, IAcruising said:

 

Wait. What? Is the Bird saying that the Haven restaurant should not have a rotating menu? That is the single most posted complaint about the Haven. And you agree with it?

 

@BirdTravels seems to be a great proponent of cruising, and especially NCL. I've seen them be critical of certain NCL policies/features/etc. And others, like moi, are just way more vocal about what we don't like, yet still truly enjoy our experience. Personally, I find @BirdTravels and I agree more than disagree. And, I don't think anyone would call me a cheerleader.

 

I'm agnostic on the menu, unless we're talking the Haven lunch menu. Please shred that thing and start all the way over!! It's boring, uninspired, and just isn't good. Dinner - keep it! And obviously, breakfast is fine. If I want huevos rancheros, I can wander to the main dining room when those are served.

[Distinctive-Destinations]

I don’t mind the fixed menu. I know what I’m getting and it’s all good, in my opinion. Many (most?) land restaurants have fixed menus, other than maybe a special of the day or two. My favorite restaurant has the same dish that I have been ordering every time since the 1980’s.

 

I don’t quite understand the complaints about the fixed menu, but then again I don’t understand at least half the complaints about other stuff on here either.

[Jordan61]

5 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm agnostic on the menu, unless we're talking the Haven lunch menu. Please shred that thing and start all the way over!! It's boring, uninspired, and just isn't good. Dinner - keep it! And obviously, breakfast is fine. If I want huevos rancheros, I can wander to the main dining room when those are served.

 

Noooo!!! I love the lunch menu, especially the shrimp scampi and the scallops. How do they not have shrimp on the dinner menu?!

[DorothyB]

45 minutes ago, Jordan61 said:

 

Noooo!!! I love the lunch menu, especially the shrimp scampi and the scallops. How do they not have shrimp on the dinner menu?!

The shrimp scampi is my favorite item on the lunch menu.  I don't remember seeing scallops, need to look again.

[Sailing12Away]

32 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I don’t mind the fixed menu. I know what I’m getting and it’s all good, in my opinion. Many (most?) land restaurants have fixed menus, other than maybe a special of the day or two. My favorite restaurant has the same dish that I have been ordering every time since the 1980’s.

 

I don’t quite understand the complaints about the fixed menu, but then again I don’t understand at least half the complaints about other stuff on here either.

I think what a lot of people are either ignoring or glossing over is that the Haven restaurant isn't just about the food items. It's about (or should be at least) the fact that it's a more quieter and intimate setting. The service compared to MDR should be notches above. It's the little touches like that which are supposed to set it apart from going to the MDR. The actual food served there is secondary, to me.

 

If both the MDR and Haven served identical menus, folks who could eat in the Haven 90% of time probably would. It's calmer, more attentive, and just better - even if the food itself is identical. 

To me, the idea of going to the buffet during prime times causes anxiety. So on ships where you have to even walk through it just to get where you're going is a big ick to me - forget about trying to actually eat there. MDR can be very crowded, busy, loud, and just not pleasant. So nights where I need a safe quiet place to just veg and talk without having to shout - we go and eat in the Haven. 

 

Maybe I'm an anomaly and everyone else picks where to eat solely by the food options, but I don't. It's about the complete experience. Assuming the quality of the steak was identical and I had to pick between eating at Applebees or eating at Capital Grill.... there's a time and place for Applebees, but I'm picking Capital Grill more often than Applebees.

 

At home we have 100s of places to pick from, and even for a nice quiet dinner there's still at least 50. On a cruise - not so much. So if I want more quiet and relaxing, the Haven restaurant is a great choice - but it gets old very quickly with that fixed menu when based on my own limited preferences the options are slim to begin with. 

 

MDR has their 'classics' which never change, and a few which do. Haven never changes at all unless you're on a trip >11 days. So it's like picking to eat at Capital Grill for all 7 nights of your trip, and as much as you may love the food choices, it gets dull doing the same exact thing for a week straight.

[wolft927]

So we only do 7 night cruises due to work schedules so for us the Haven does not get boring. We use our two specialty dining and the remaining dinners are usually in the Haven. Filet and lobster tails, Pork Chops, Crab Cakes, Prime Rib ( which they always make me eat lobster tails with it lol) and the last night is a toss up usually lol. 

 

We never eat lunch in the Haven but have on multiple occasions have had the Caesar Wrap Poolside in the Haven which is fantastic. We prefer lunch at the Local, but occasionally will eat lunch at the buffet if its not insanely packed.

 

Breakfast hands down is always the Haven or even having it delivered to out suite. Nothing takes care of a night of over indulging of alcohol like Steak and eggs.     

 

Now we are trying out first MSC cruise on the Seascape in the Yacht club in September, so will see how we like the changing menu. 

[cruiseny4life]

58 minutes ago, Jordan61 said:

 

Noooo!!! I love the lunch menu, especially the shrimp scampi and the scallops. How do they not have shrimp on the dinner menu?!

You and my husband both!!! He'd be devastated if the shrimp scampi left the menu. I just don't like it or, really, anything else on the menu. The salads are good, I suppose. I do order the seafood fritto misto a lot, along with a salad. That is my typical choice.

 

14 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Maybe I'm an anomaly and everyone else picks where to eat solely by the food options, but I don't. It's about the complete experience. Assuming the quality of the steak was identical and I had to pick between eating at Applebees or eating at Capital Grill.... there's a time and place for Applebees, but I'm picking Capital Grill more often than Applebees.

You're an anomaly! 🙂 The service onboard, even in the main dining room, is far too attentive for me. I always hate going to "fine" dining as I'm just not into servers treating me like royalty. Personally, the best servers are those at small town diners that just treat you like their neighbor (even if they've never met you). I much prefer those. I generally wear down a Haven server or two by day three, so that we can just be treated normally, instead fancified!

 

My husband? Yea, he's with you! He wants the "fine" experience with doting servers who expect your every whim. Drives me absolutely banana pants!

 

Ok....maybe I'm the anomaly. 🙂 

[9tee2Sea]

The only time I was n Haven was on the Bliss earlier this year.  Ate breakfast on the outer dining area daily ( nice relaxing way to start the day).  Lunch was from the buffet ( I like to make BIG salads).  Dinner was either Specialty or Haven.  I agree the menus got stale, but hey, at least I didn't have to spend hours cooking/cleaning.  So it was a fair trade off.   I think the best part of Haven dining was the cappuccinos/espressos ( I never do those at home).

[Sailing12Away]

50 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

You and my husband both!!! He'd be devastated if the shrimp scampi left the menu. I just don't like it or, really, anything else on the menu. The salads are good, I suppose. I do order the seafood fritto misto a lot, along with a salad. That is my typical choice.

 

You're an anomaly! 🙂 The service onboard, even in the main dining room, is far too attentive for me. I always hate going to "fine" dining as I'm just not into servers treating me like royalty. Personally, the best servers are those at small town diners that just treat you like their neighbor (even if they've never met you). I much prefer those. I generally wear down a Haven server or two by day three, so that we can just be treated normally, instead fancified!

 

My husband? Yea, he's with you! He wants the "fine" experience with doting servers who expect your every whim. Drives me absolutely banana pants!

 

Ok....maybe I'm the anomaly. 🙂 

I'm not interested in attentive and up my rear or fancy schmancy - I'm a tshirt and shorts gal remember. We drink wine out of red solo cups for pure laziness of not having to hand wash the stemware when we're done.

 

But more in the lines of the Haven staff do a better job of learning which of us want to be left alone, and who wants to be doted on. So I feel like in the Haven I can have a conversation without someone hovering and watching, or constantly interrupting. They know how to sneak in like ninjas and refill my water or top off my wine. It doesn't feel like a forced respectfulness, just more go with the flow. There also tends to be less hiccups, and the space in general is just more calming to me.

[graphicguy]

I like the Haven Restaurant.  That said, I always have SDP with my FAS and Latitudes.  So, I can mix it up.

 

Haven food is always prepared very well, is of high quality and served promptly and attentively in a friendly manner.

 

Sailed the Retreat on Celebrity.  Their version of the Haven Restaurant is Luminae.  Rotating menus but not nearly as many choices as the Haven menu on any given sitting.  

 

So, kind of a toss up for me.  Personally, I like the Haven restaurant supplemented by my FAS SDP dining options.  

 

Luminae's choices, while rotating, are a bit too "out there" most of the time for me.  It may be my palette isn't very sophisticated, too.

Edited April 30 by graphicguy

[The Traveling Man]

18 hours ago, wolft927 said:

By the way the pork chops in the Haven are the best I ever had 

Thanks for the tip.  I usually avoid pork chops in most restaurants.  The chefs sometimes overcook them to avoid trichinosis or other disease.  That frequently leaves the meat as dry as shoe leather.  Next time we're in the Haven, though, I'll take your advice and give it a try.  Thanks.

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, wolft927 said:

So we only do 7 night cruises due to work schedules so for us the Haven does not get boring.

We are the exact opposite.  We only splurge on the Haven on longer cruises, say two weeks or so.  This is especially so on itineraries that feature lots of sea days, like a TA.  When we know that we will be spending a lot of time on board the ship, we want to have a quite place to hang out, sort of a Retreat from the crowds, a Haven for respite.  As @Sailing12Away said, we like to have dinner in the Haven restaurant not so much for the food, but for the peace and quiet normally found there.

[The Traveling Man]

32 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

I'm not interested in attentive and up my rear or fancy schmancy - I'm a tshirt and shorts gal remember. We drink wine out of red solo cups for pure laziness of not having to hand wash the stemware when we're done.

 

But more in the lines of the Haven staff do a better job of learning which of us want to be left alone, and who wants to be doted on. So I feel like in the Haven I can have a conversation without someone hovering and watching, or constantly interrupting. They know how to sneak in like ninjas and refill my water or top off my wine. It doesn't feel like a forced respectfulness, just more go with the flow. There also tends to be less hiccups, and the space in general is just more calming to me.

Yes...what she said.