Sthrngary

@knscruiser322 CruiseCritic.com does not allow messaging even though it has what looks like a method. When you want me to respond, please do @Sthrngary which will give you a menu to click my screen name. That is a question directly to me. On to your question. This has been debated for a very long time. I no longer give advice for what a person should do. All I offer is what I did and why. That way, the negative comments I used to get I rarely gain anymore. Remember, "You do YOU!". Butler: I am the crazy insane person that crafted the famous "Butler Letter". The reason was I had several butlers in a row that were Hit/Miss. The moment I did the Butler Letter, my butlers were all hits. Long story and it needs to be a very well written letter sharing your likes/dislikes and requests if allowable. In that correspondence that I give to my butler the very first day is their tip. With two people in a Haven Suite I tipped $150.00. With four in the Haven Owners Suite I tipped $250.00. Just want I did and does not reflect right or wrong. Bartenders: I usually give them a $20.00 bill a couple of times during the week. Room Steward: I usually give them an extra $100.00. I feel this hard working folks were out of work for the Covid-19 situation. I might over tip a bit as a way to give them a slight improvement to make up for lost time. Everyone has a variation on how and what they tip. This is just me. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Branbay I can not be 100%. Usually, the Sundeck one would use the wireless phone in the suite to have the Butler bring you a burger or such. In the courtyard by the pool, servers depend but if I am not mistaken, same situation as the Haven Sundeck. Other will comment with additional information. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@cruisebeachgirl703 I would like to approach your question differently. Early morning, go to the Haven Horizon Observation Lounge. Lite breakfast foods, fresh pastries, the best specialty coffee machine I have ever used, fruit and cereals. Around lunch time it has lite lunch. Just before dinner some snacks. The Haven Restaurant has a very nice breakfast semi-buffet area for smoke salmon, pastries, cereals and much more. Most folks order from the menu and still get some items off this area. One of my favorite things. Not the exact time you are looking for however gives you and idea. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The best place is YouTube video's. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My pleasure. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Exactly. I was on the Joy three times. When in the H2 Deluxe Owners Suite, it was part of the amenities. When in a Penthouse the Butler said no. I always have the Premium Plus Drink Package. My reason for commenting like I do is because, way back when, someone said online that they got something and it was refused to me. I made me sour. So I just want folks to know it really does depend on your Butler. Thank you for saying it that way. Much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

LOL, so I am considered "Bougie" ? I take that as a complement. I support what you said. We usually find a couple on their honeymoon and give them the bottle. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Daniel A You are not going to like this answer, nobody does. "NO". No canned sodas, no beer or wine, no spirits can be provided by your Butler without you paying for them even if you have a Beverage Package. I want to be clear, some folks have had soda's brought with meals. I have ALWAYS been told NO, but some butlers have broken that rule. Just not an expectation. If you want to ask any more question about this, feel free. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@JoieNsk Short answer is that is correct. Instruction for you. On day one when you meet your butler, tell them you want he menu's from the Haven in your suite and you want all your room service from the Haven Restaurant if it is open at the time. This means, if not on the Menu, you have to use normal room service which is awful. NONE. You can order alchol to the room even with a butler, regardless of drink program without it being fully charged to your account. My advice is, tell the butler to take out all your "FOR PURCHASE" items so you don't get charged. The Sparkling wine you get on day one which is horrible is complementary. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I have done the same thing, I recommend, just go to the spa. The note is not consistent enough. Please remember my over all strategy. Realistic expectations. All I really care about is having the spa treatment on the day and time I want it. It is not done, until I can confirm it done. If I think it will be done for me and it is not, I am not a happy camper. My two cents only. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@JoieNsk I have emailed and called. The call always gets a much better result than the email. Just my experience. Yes, Specialty Dining. In the Haven you can do this 130 days in advance. I always look forward to that date and have exactly want dates/times I want. Part of the fun for me. Remember for 3 people, book 4. for 5 people book 6. Book the moment you get on the ship. Go direct to the spa, do not pass go. That way you get on early, you get the spa treatments you want before anyone else. Very rare to have the ability to do so pre-cruise. The spa is a different company than NCL. Your questions are not stupid. This is a huge thread, most of them have been answered over and over again which means that are popular questions. The core of your questions seems to be what other brands do and don't do. Or else you are new to cruising which I am not sure you are. Seems you have a pretty good handle on what will make your cruise excellent. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Done like in a hotel. Each piece has a cost. That is NCL policy. Now when you go on other ships, especially the ones that have much longer itineraries, they have some free laundry and also washer/dryers on each floor. What I am trying to say is, NCL to my knowledge regardless of stateroom has no laundry privileges. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am SO glad you asked this question. I had no idea either. This will be my first "O" sailing. What I find interesting is most folks like us, who rarely or never went on this level of cruise brand, will always have questions like this. We are used to only having access to sauna or steam rooms if we have a very expensive spa treatment. Rarely if ever have access to a place like the AquaMar Spa Terrace. We always worry about what if we have a drink package, we are in our suite and just want a glass of wine brought to our stateroom. On Mainstream cruise brands, that is a charge. So again, I appreciated your question for another reason. My wife said their was no way with out a spa treatment would we have access to the Sauna and Steam rooms. Now I can tell her, "I told you so". Small victory. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ashkay16 Yes, I recommend you do it as soon as possible. One more thing not to worry about. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@amygutman Wow that was GREAT. Thank you for the shout out. Much appreciated. I will lay odds who you talked with was Maria. I also have had the best conversations with her and her wonderful staff. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Mommapadraig GREAT advice. Go on to YouTube and look for best Area for hotels, then best hotel in those area's. Fun to research and gives you a look at the hotels. On my trip, the hotel the cruise brand suggested in Athens, Greece was the one I choose. I got lucky. That choose was researched as I suggested to you. I hope that helps. Make sure you fly in the day before early so you can enjoy that day in Rome. I will be in Rome in November and can't wait. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@cruisebeachgirl703 the Haven Concierge is kind of like the Manager of the Haven. The are the go to person even for the butlers. I hope that helps you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@hankandteri My first butler was about five years ago. I was uncomfortable asking for anything because I don't like to embarrass myself. In my "Real" world, I am the butler, room Stewart, chief and handy man. I was completely disappointed with my first butler. On my second opportunity, I googled what butlers do and don't do for you. Found GREAT information. I then watched lots of YouTube Video's on what butlers do. My second butler I did something very unconventional. I created a butler letter. I learned to share likes and dislikes, needs or wishes. I explained a little history about each member of my party. I ask what we could to or share that would make the butlers job easier. I then did something I hesitate to even share. I will but I know what is going to happen. I have shared this before. In my butler letter, I pre-tipped them upfront. The result was I had a very good experience with a butler that could not do enough for me and more importantly my family. Fast forward two more cruised, a refined butler letter and a much clearer understanding of what to expect. I was on Crystal Cruises and our butler literally made the cruise for us. He was a new level. The letter helped but his was the real reason it worked. That cruise taught me, the better the cruise brand, the better trained and accommodating the butler was. Our Celebrity and NCL Haven Butlers were ok. Nothing like our Crystal Cruise Butler. My lesson on cruising is to know how things work. Not everyone want to go to the lengths I go to. I fully understand that. I have the time and enjoy the research. The number one thing I realized is know what you want in your Vacation Life and never use the real world as your data source. I love engaging with everyone, enjoying everyone company including every member of the crew. Laugh and visit with them. Some how, my last few butlers have be over the top. It took some learning but it would out GREAT. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@dmbcanada For the past decade, I have cruised NCL. I know known for my articles, streams and posts on the NCL Haven. However I have also cruise in the NCL normal balcony staterooms. Please add to that, prior to retirement, I worked very heavily on survey systems and why folks review the way they do. With 44 years of cruising, the fact is, every decade or so cruising changes. From dining, to levels of personalized service to the amount of times a day the cabin steward cleans your stateroom. These changes usually come when the cruise line has a situation that cost them huge money and can't control it. To stay in business they have to make changes. Let me say that again, they can continue to do business with cuts which effect our vacation experience or be out of business. Not the choose any company wants to make. From a consumer standpoint, it is up to us to make a decision. Is the cutbacks enough to keep our business or to lose it. When negative reviews happen they scare us all. Cruising is still a significate cost. The best way to look at is is 10% are awful, 10% claim the cruise was perfect. 80% are much more balance. Take them all in and make your decision. My opinion know what every says and make your own educated decision. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Omg, you bet the gold star for that one. You brought back my childhood in Long Island NY. It was Sims mens clothing. If I am not mistaken.

@Mike981 You see the challenges. I made sure, I have everything I put up covered by being fully refundable to "ME". When I make changes, which I just did with their airfare, I check with them via electronic mail and confirm. Still, the airfare is fully refundable, to "ME". The Final Payment Due Date on my upcoming cruise is August 15, 2023. They have to take money out of their retirement. I told them it had to be paid, June 15, 2023. They made the transfers and and cutting me a check next week. When we had to pay for our Cruise Travel Insurance, I got a check from them prior to confirming it. After 65 years of always being the bank with no return on investment, I got the picture that you outlined so well. Thank you for the post. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Well, I have to comment, "next time please don't hold back". I enjoy reading lots of cruise threads on different brands on CruiseCritic.com. Some make me smile, other make me laugh and some make me sad. Yet regardless of how I feel, I attempt to try to understand why the person wrote to thread. This is one of those threads. The obvious is the disappointment outlined in great detail. Not limited to missing port but to the core of the brand itself. This is emphasized with the comparison of Carnival vs. Oceania. That one was to me a real shocker. I have no idea how I would feel if I spent $20,000 for a 10 day cruise and was so disappointed. Yet still, I am not sure what the end-game is for this stream. Was it done to Vent; Was it done to send a message to the brand; Was it done as a public service announcement, maybe it was done to stop folks from considering the brand in the future. Possible all of the above. How can knowing what was presented help or improve our future Oceania Riviera experience? I will log the information for future reference. I and we all should take anything we learn on Social Media with a grain of salt. I am again sad this guest did not come close to meeting there expectations. To much money to spend for that to have happened. I hope that this outline and all its parts are sent to every executive in Oceania so they can process it. No brand in this price point can survive with this type of reputation even if it is a minority of guest. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@nancygp You were always so kind to me. You opinion has great value. I think in this one short stream, I have gotten every thing I need. Thank you again.

@nancygp You are exactly correct Nancy. I learned all I could, went on Crystal and had a OK but not great time. The real issue want not Crystal, it was the itinerary, just coming off the pandemic and a few very entitled people. As I said in my review of Crystal, that is the kind of experience I would want in a Port driven cruise in Europe. Not the Caribbean. I also learned a lot with that research. One thing I learned it I have NO IDEA what a real butler or personalized service was like until I went on Crystal. I am gun shy to try them again for obvious reasons. So I am looking at Silver Seas and Regent. As I step up to a much nicer cruising experience, I am starting with Oceania. Thank you for remembering me. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mcl082182 This is a HAL upgrade and I am not familiar with it. I just looked it up and I think it is $25.00 per person per day. I would watch some YouTube videos on it before committing. Sorry I was not much help. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.