Just back from 9 day Getaway in Haven

[drew69]

Just back form the Getaway.  9 days - no sea days - loved the itinerary and lack of sea days.

 

Great trip.  Bar, wait staff in Haven were absolutely fantastic.   Nashira and Victor at Concierge desk were amazing.  This trip, the only disappointment was our butler who was virtually nonexistent.  Very low maintenance, requested pitchers of water and iced tea which were there upon arrival.  Never refilled unless we tracked him down and requested it.  Never saw him until the afternoon of Day 3 - no intro, no call, nothing.  Just his card left in the room when we got there.  Some days we had snacks dropped off, other days - nothing.  The one day, I tried to call him to ask for more iced tea and phone said out of service.  I asked concierge if there was a phone issue and they said he was off the ship assisting tender service but phone would go to his back up.  They tried and then said he never bothered to forward his phone when he left the ship.  Actually on ever saw him 4 times the entire cruise, and only twice actually in our room.

 

Rest of staff again was truly amazing including excellent beverage service on sun deck, etc.  Ended up taking part of intended butler tip and giving more to room steward - he was excellent - and bar staff instead.

 

Honestly don't think I could have enjoyed the cruise as much if not in the Haven - rest of ship when we ventured out was a madhouse.  Truly like entering another world when you get back to the Haven.  Noticing that more than on previous sailings.

 

They do need to rethink late night snacks/food.  Wasn't an issue for us, but with everything else closed, every time we went past O'Sheenan's  in the later evening it was a wait of an hour or more to sit.

 

Stayed at the M Gallery City Center hotel 3 days pre-cruise which is always amazing.  2 nights post cruise at The Divani Apollon north of Athens in Vouliagmeni, just past Glyfada.  Beachfront and very relaxing.  Beautiful hotel.

[roddy good boy]

Thank you for this report! Was your cabin in the Haven Courtyard or were you outside of it?
 

Did you notice any changes in the Haven lunch or dinner menus?

[Two Wheels Only]

21 minutes ago, drew69 said:

...rest of ship when we ventured out was a madhouse.

 

It wasn't as bad as the fights that were recently posted online that were onboard Carnival and Royal Caribbean. 😄

Edited July 8 by Two Wheels Only

[drew69]

8 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

Thank you for this report! Was your cabin in the Haven Courtyard or were you outside of it?
 

Did you notice any changes in the Haven lunch or dinner menus?

He,  We Were right in the Haven between the door to the lounge and door to the pool. 

 

No, the menus were exactly what is currently posted on the website.

[drew69]

3 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

It wasn't as bad as the fights that were recently posted online that were onboard Carnival and Royal Caribbean. 😄

I say those!  How crazy 🤣

[smilegirl07]

So excited to read this!  We are gonna be in the Haven on the Viva, for 10 nights very port intensive stopping everyday.  Glad you thoroughly enjoyed your trip - the butler!

[EngrJones]

2 hours ago, drew69 said:

This trip, the only disappointment was our butler who was virtually nonexistent.  Very low maintenance, requested pitchers of water and iced tea which were there upon arrival.  Never refilled unless we tracked him down and requested it.  Never saw him until the afternoon of Day 3 - no intro, no call, nothing.  Just his card left in the room when we got there.  Some days we had snacks dropped off, other days - nothing.  The one day, I tried to call him to ask for more iced tea and phone said out of service.  I asked concierge if there was a phone issue and they said he was off the ship assisting tender service but phone would go to his back up.  They tried and then said he never bothered to forward his phone when he left the ship.  Actually on ever saw him 4 times the entire cruise, and only twice actually in our room.

 

Rest of staff again was truly amazing including excellent beverage service on sun deck, etc.  Ended up taking part of intended butler tip and giving more to room steward - he was excellent - and bar staff instead.

I thought that the butler was the best part of the Haven.  Why did you tip him at all?

[drew69]

3 minutes ago, EngrJones said:

I thought that the butler was the best part of the Haven.  Why did you tip him at all?

Not necessarily the best part, but should be a more active part than this one.  He did the minimum so left him a minimum tip in line with there service provided.

[EngrJones]

2 hours ago, drew69 said:

Not necessarily the best part, but should be a more active part than this one.  He did the minimum so left him a minimum tip in line with there service provided.

People pay thousands to be pampered by "their" butler in the Haven.  Why on earth would you leave a penny?  We don't have this problem in steerage.

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the review and glad you had a great time in the Haven.  In defense of the butler you said the water or iced tea was not refilled unless you requested it.  That's usually the way it works.

Each butler has their own philosophy.  It was nice of him to leave his card.  Some don't like the butler to intrude unless requested.  Some butlers purposely keep their distance until called.  Some find it annoying when a butler is barging in without requesting anything.  If you requested something that was not delivered then you have every right to complain.  But I find it odd when people complain about butlers being "non-existent" but never asked for anything.  I've experienced the same thing with not meeting the butler until the 3rd day.   But then again I think the butler is the most over-rated thing about the Haven.  Its basically room service and many of those daily treats we don't eat or want.

[sapsucker]

What was the team of your butler?

[dexddd]

Your butler experience is not an uncommon thing.  People make excuses for it for years.  You are paying tons of money for Haven and should get equivalent service.

 

Was there also a note in room that butlers and some others not in tip pool so please tip accordingly?  They probably didn't forget that.

Edited July 8 by dexddd

[Laszlo]

We had a similar experience with our Butler on the Gem. The excuse was he was taking care of people in the Haven, we only had a "Suite". Our room steward was amazing. I took half of the butlers tip and added it to hers. Funny thing, or not so funny thing was the last day he made sure to find us FOUR times to thank us and shake my hand. I really wanted to say where the F were you the rest of the cruise. Granted the Butlers and room stewards on the Gem are overworked. This guy had suites in the forward part of the ship and the aft along with some Haven cabins up top

[drew69]

7 hours ago, EngrJones said:

People pay thousands to be pampered by "their" butler in the Haven.  Why on earth would you leave a penny?  We don't have this problem in steerage.

The butler is only a part of the experience and what you are paying for.  It is the serenity, the atmosphere, etc. which truly feels very different from the rest of the ship.  Also, the uncrowded pool and sun deck with the padded loungers and quiet to relax.  The restaurant and bar right there with the amazing food and service  .Being escorted down and right off the ship when you want to go with no line, no waiting, no tender tickets, etc.  It is the entire package you pay for, the butler gets talked about a lot but is to me, not  the biggest perk nor the make or break part of the experience.  I felt they did fulfill some functions and tipped an amount accordingly which is what a tip is all about - a reward for the service given.

 

Again, I was looking for a little more interaction and proactiveness on their part as we have had in the past.  Was not looking to be waited on every minute or have them fulfill a list of demands and though this one was a bit lacking, it certainly was not a make or break for our trip.

 

Also, have seen some guests in the Haven who seem to forget the butler is not "theirs" exclusively but handling multiple rooms.  Unfortunately, some want to monopolize theirs making it harder for them to service their other guests efficiently.

 

 

[goldmom]

We've had great butlers and also absentee butlers.  If I need something in the room I just leave a note for the butler by the coffee maker and ask for extra coffee or iced tea or whatever.  Sometimes it may not show up until later in the day, but I've had success using this method.

[roddy good boy]

25 minutes ago, drew69 said:

Also, have seen some guests in the Haven who seem to forget the butler is not "theirs" exclusively but handling multiple rooms.  Unfortunately, some want to monopolize theirs making it harder for them to service their other guests efficiently.

I remember some of the old threads where a few Haven passengers would talk about requests to have their Butler unpack their luggage! I couldn’t imagine asking something like that, or expecting it. The most burdensome thing we ask for is breakfast room service, on early port days (with excursions).

[MarkieMarkNYC]

Hmm, I bet we had the same butler. I was on the Getaway in May and stayed in a Haven complex room right by the door to the lounge. His name starts with P (and our steward was terrific).

He never introduced himself, never asked what we wanted, and generally didn't bring things we asked for (despite other rooms getting those things). He did bring us M&Ms after we requested them on day two but rang the buzzer when our do not disturb light was on, thereby waking us from a nap.

Of course it didn't ruin our trip, but as our first Haven experience it did make us feel that the premium price in Haven doesn't mean a truly premium experience. 

We wouldn't book Haven again and have some nice upcoming sailings on Oceania and Viking, where we've consistently received what we pay for.

Edited July 8 by MarkieMarkNYC

[drew69]

Just now, MarkieMarkNYC said:

Hmm, I bet we had the same butler. I was on the Getaway in May and stayed in a Haven complex room right by the door to the lounge. His name starts with P (and our steward was terrific).

He never introduced himself, never asked what we wanted, and generally didn't bring things we asked for (despite other rooms getting those things). He did bring us M&Ms after two requests on day two but rang the buzzer when our do not disturb light was on, thereby waking us from a nap.

Of course it didn't ruin our trip, but as our first Haven experience it did make us feel that the premium price in Haven doesn't mean a truly premium experience. 

We wouldn't book Haven again and have some nice upcoming sailings on Oceania and Viking, where we've consistently received what we pay for.

Yes, we were in 16116 and that was him.  I agree the steward was fantastic and so was the rest of the staff.  

[drew69]

3 minutes ago, roddy good boy said:

I remember some of the old threads where a few Haven passengers would talk about requests to have their Butler unpack their luggage! I couldn’t imagine asking something like that, or expecting it. The most burdensome thing we ask for is breakfast room service, on early port days (with excursions).

I agree would never ask them to unpack or draw a bath for me as others sometimes do.  

[graphicguy]

I'm low maintenance.  I don't ask for ANYTHING special from the Butler.  Sometimes they leave champagne in a metal container bobbing in cold water that  was once ice, to those who would check in with me 2x/day.  And, I've had those who were invisible until the last full day of the cruise, but I knew they were around as my coffee was replenished.

 

But, I don't ask for anything more, either.  

 

I don't need a Butler, frankly.  That said, I have had them state that they are very busy.  OK...do they say that to all the Haven cabins they're responsible for?  IF they are ignoring one, are they ignoring all?

 

But, the concierges?  Man, I become really good friends with them.  They take care of everything for me.  They are tipped well by me.  Bartenders in the Haven?  The best in the biz on ANY cruise line (except for one on my recent cruise, which is an anomaly).

 

Wait staff in the Haven Restaurant?  Again, the best I've experienced on any cruise line.  Same goes for the waitstaff in the outside areas of the Haven...(outside loungers).

 

Butlers?  I don't ask much, and I don't expect much!

[drew69]

7 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I'm low maintenance.  I don't ask for ANYTHING special from the Butler.  Sometimes they leave champagne in a metal container bobbing in cold water that  was once ice, to those who would check in with me 2x/day.  And, I've had those who were invisible until the last full day of the cruise, but I knew they were around as my coffee was replenished.

 

But, I don't ask for anything more, either.  

 

I don't need a Butler, frankly.  That said, I have had them state that they are very busy.  OK...do they say that to all the Haven cabins they're responsible for?  IF they are ignoring one, are they ignoring all?

 

But, the concierges?  Man, I become really good friends with them.  They take care of everything for me.  They are tipped well by me.  Bartenders in the Haven?  The best in the biz on ANY cruise line (except for one on my recent cruise, which is an anomaly).

 

Wait staff in the Haven Restaurant?  Again, the best I've experienced on any cruise line.  Same goes for the waitstaff in the outside areas of the Haven...(outside loungers).

 

Butlers?  I don't ask much, and I don't expect much!

Totally agree and the same here 

[Fredrik]

Thank you for the review!!

 

How was embarkation in Pireus? What time slots were you offered?

[cruiseny4life]

15 hours ago, EngrJones said:

People pay thousands to be pampered by "their" butler in the Haven.  Why on earth would you leave a penny?  We don't have this problem in steerage.

Sounds like your experience in the non-Haven part of the ship is great. I'm glad you've enjoyed your cruises! Since you don't have experience with the Haven product, I think it's a bit unfair for you to comment....but alas, to each their own.

[Deb and Jack]

Thanks for the review, my daughter and I will be in Haven I'm September, same itinerary. Glad to know concierge is good. That's more important to me than butter. 

 

Debbie 

[Mommapadraig]

Great review! Thanks for taking time to do this. We are the same as a lot of people regarding the butler. Never asked much of them. .We don’t  care for many of the snacks etc delivered to the room. I don’t think we had any requests on our last cruise.we also seldom used the concierge. The reason we book the Haven is the lack of crowds. That’s it. Yes we ate some meals in the restaurant but we also ate in the MDR because we liked to watch the ballroom dancers.we love the haven bar. We could always get a stool and had fantastic service.