Sthrngary

I provide the whole thing up front. If the do an "Over the TOP" job, I will provide some more. My point is let them know, that I know they are not included in the gratuities program. Seems like it would be a lot easier if NCL just included the Butler but than I would think they would not get all the money. The general rule is all of us need to do what feels right to us. Subjective just like which restaurant we like best. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@JamieLogical You are my idol. 15 drinks??? The last time I did that was the last night of a cruise in 2019. I remember it like it happened yesterday which is funny because yours did happen yesterday. All kidding aside. I know I can only speak for myself. Your "Overview", Pictures and thoughts of your cruise are excellent and appreciated by all that read them. Not many folks know how much time it takes to do what you are doing. Thanks for giving us some much needed entertainment. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Yes and robes. If you have more than two folks in your room, ask the butler for more slippers and robes. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am from Melville, NY. Hello fellow Long Islanders. I was the author of the original Butler letter. It is not perfect but it created a much higher % of good butlers to bad ones. No system is perfect. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My update for our journey. We are 32 days until embarkment. My "Journey Document" and "Excel Calendar" are complete except for the bar codes gained from online check-in 21 days out. As it stands, only my wife and I will be cruising the NCL Breakaway on December 4, 2022 for the finals of the slot tournament. This seems to be a well booked cruise and the Single Supplement will not be offered for solo travelers. This makes this cruise to expensive for my sister or other friends that are solo. I offered my adult children that I would pay half of their cruise fare including the Free at Sea. My son said sure but he did not have the money. My daughter said she would if my wife would give her $10,000 of her wining, if she won. OK, folks, take a deep breath on that one. My wife said, I will tell you what, "I will give you 10% of the money after taxes" and my 31 year old daughter declined. Last year in late November 2021, I took my two adult children, my wife and I on the NCL Joy for a covid belated long time in coming cruise. I was fortunate enough to have the H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite which was incredible. First time my children ever cruised in the Haven. The only one to get spa treatments, three of them to be exact, was my adult daughter. It was her birthday week and as you can tell, I have spoiled my children because my wife and I came up in poverty. That was a justification on my part for knowing better and still doing the wrong thing. All that is a true story. So, with her comment I said to my lovely bride. Guess we are on our own. We have so much more fun on cruises with friends and family. What is funny and I think all you parents will agree. If my wife is so lucky to win the $100,000.00 in the slot tournament, my children would have participated. Most parents would have shared the wealth. Now that is in question because at this stage in my life, I don't like the attitude. Some will agree and other will not. What I hope is if anyone is on the cruise, you will say hello to my wife and I. We can get a drink or a burger together. If you are in the Vibe, we will get sunburned together. If you get up early as I do, we can have a coffee at Starbucks together. If I can find the Tequila 1942, we will have a tequila together. If you don't have someone to root for, consider being part of my wife cheering section. The odds of her winning are low however they are better that not having an entry in the first place. To my Haven friends who read my blog on the Haven. We will not be in the Haven this time so is you could be so kind, can you sneak me a Almond Croissant one morning. They are life changing and only in the Haven. Either way, we are set to go and I will do a live blog on the cruise as I always do. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My pleasure. If you have any questions, just let me know. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Full disclosure. I did not read the replies to your question. Here is my experience. When you book the Vibe on Embarkment Day, they give you a new Suite Card that opens the Vibe door and a wristband that is worthless because no one ever checks it. The difference when you pre-book your Vibe Beach Club pre-cruise is, when you get your Suite Card the Vibe entry is already on your card. The wrist band is sent to your room later. My approach. When not in the Haven, I use the Vibe under the umbrella of Haven Lite. I find the elevator, stairs to get to the entry door, if my card does not open it, I knock. I have never been denied entry from the moment I get on board. The Vibe is going to be my "go to" point for the entire week. I bring a change of clothes in my back back, find a lounge chair, make friends with the staff and this time I have a reserved Cabana. I might have over answered you question because I am so excited that I will be cruising in 30 days. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@renjiYour question is, "Am I over thinking?" The answer to that is based on who you talk to. Some folks when they here I provide gratuities upfront, really get on my case. They hate the idea. Other think it is a great idea. I have explain my reasoning over and over again. FYI, I was having less then great service from butlers on Main Stream Cruise Brands. It was a bit frustrating to me and took the benefit of a Butler as a non-issue. Then one day, I had a very nice conversation with a butler. In the nicest way, he told me that many guest don't know that NCL does not provide them with any gratuities. Guest leave the ship thinking that the gratuities we Pre-Pay with NCL have a portion for them. When I heard this, I tried the letter which evolved over time and full gratuity upfront. From that day, my butlers would do anything to make our trip great. If you choose to give nothing upfront, a portion or all of the gratuity, it really does not matter. It is explained in the letter and most folks that have done this agree, the service has been consistently better. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Butler_NCL_Cruises_Template.docx

Extremally well done. I have never cruised out of NY and loved hearing about it. Your entire overview and writing style was so easy to follow and allowed us all to live through you. Thank you again. Cruise well and Enjoy every Moscow Mule, LOL

I did this suite in 2019, it was on one side of the bed only. I brought a small round power strip which also had USB. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You can ask, but that might be pushing it. Usually, only access to you suite is permitted.

I thought it was there. Sorry, I will attempt to do so in the future and thank you for the complement. A little history. When I first attached the letter and how I used it, I got so much push back. People hated it and especially objected to my upfront gratuities. Fast forward to today. I get at least two requests a week for the letter. No more push back and everyone uses it differently. It makes me feel good that something I do, gives others benefit. It keeps me motivated so thank you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

If you only have the minutes for the WiFi, make sure you log out after each usage. I have truly enjoy all of your post in the past. I will be on the Breakaway, out of New Orleans in just over 30 days. I loved the Getaway which is a similar ship. Can't wait to here your thoughts. I favor which I know I don't have to ask you but will. PLEASE focus on your trip. We can wait a few days for your thoughts. It is fun to reply to everyone with question, I know, it give me great pleasure. However we all wait for this special time on a cruise. That really should be all of our priorities. Glad you are with your brother, that makes a trip even better. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

OK, thank you to the OP for the Pictures. I wanted to let the stream take shape before I kicked in to deeply. There are three kinds of guests that will obviously comment on this. First, past Haven Guests; Second, non-Haven Guests; Third, non-Haven Guest that have never liked or wanted to sail in the Haven. My perspective is as a past Haven Guest. The Haven Pool: I have only used the Haven Pool once. It is in the Haven Courtyard with or without a retractable roof. The feel I want is the full shine of the sun which is lost when in the Haven Courtyard. The Prima fixes that issue with the infinity pool which has a much better view on a nice day. The Haven Bar: Most folks complained about the size and staffing of the Haven Bar. The Prima adds crew and has more bars. This is a great benefit for the outside area and I think they learned from the Vibe Beach Club having a bar. The Haven Location: The front of the ship was nice however the back is much nicer when the ship is sailing. NCL took a page off of other brands idea's and locations. The Haven Extra Bedrooms: The Two Bedroom villas and the Owners Suites have real beds in their second bedrooms. An Actual second bedroom that is just as comfortable as the Master Bedroom. The Haven Sundeck Shade: This is a mistake by NCL. I love to be outside but it only took on really bad sunburn to look for a shaded area. This is sad to me because when you enter the Vibe Beach Club, the first question is where do you want the umbrella placed. The Haven Lounge Chairs: They have always been comfortable however these look to be even more comfortable. The bottom line is NCL fixed some issues, improved some issues and missed some issues. When someone whom has not stayed in the Haven comment that it seems to be the same as the rest of the ship, they are missing the concept of the Haven. Quiet, less people, personalized service, better food/drink, and exclusivity. If that does not float someone's boat, the rest of the ship is quite lovely it seems. If we are evaluating the cost, than this debate will never end. No correct answer. All I know is the Haven sells out quick during normal times. That in itself it the results NCL is looking for. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

We will all try to micro manage what happen to you. The fact is, you were treated very poorly. Calling NCL is a Hit or Miss situation when you need to get things done. I could guess what the cause is but that will not matter. They treated you poorly and you have every right to feel upset. On to the future. You are now in the Haven. In the future, call ONLY the Haven Customer Service number. That is one of the main benefits of the Haven. I will tell you what happened to me so you can understand my advice. I had just come off the Joy in the Haven. I went back on three months later as a solo non-Haven Guest. I had an issue that no one could handle for me. As a matter of fact, it was a Vibe Issue. I called my Haven Customer Service Person, I told her I was not in the Haven. She said, don't worry about it. I handled about three items in five minutes that the other folks had no clue about. You will love the Haven Experience. Please let all of us know how your cruise goes. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You have a no lose situation here. Prima of Joy. The odds are your vacation will rock. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Your opinion is appreciated. Regardless of where a stateroom is located, cruises are what we make of them. I dearly love the Haven. I also want a shaded area. So I also book the Vibe Beach Club. Seems like a waste because you have the Haven Sundeck. It probably is a waste. The difference is when I go into the Vibe, the crew ask me where I want to sit and if I want an Umbrella, Frozen Fruit and Ice water. When I go on vacation which is rare, I simply want to feel like a "Rock Star" for a week out of my life. All that said, the Haven is a complete joy. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

If you think you want the package, buy it now. Why would you wait to buy it on board. If you don't want the package, just cancel it before you sail. I give the same advice for the Vibe Beach Club and Excursions. Why wait when you can always cancel it. One less thing to think about. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You got the right attitude. I just want a portfolio with no extra's at the end of the cruise. So I pay for everything up front. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you and yes they did treat me well. You have to know the whole story. First, in late November 2021, my family and I sailed on the NCL Joy in one of the two Owners Suites. As you read this stream which I originally wrote four years ago and updated at the beginning of 2022, people know me and my writings. They know I do both a Butler Letter and a Haven Desk Letter. The butler letter has his tip included upfront. I really don't want to debate this, I am only stating this as a matter of fact. the Haven Desk Letter is similar and has their full tip included as well. During the week, I would make a point of smiling and making jokes so folks would laugh. In a day or so, everyone knew my name and anything we wanted, was there for the asking. They started to call me Mr. Haven which made my wife very embarrassed. She had no clue why folks would stop me all the time and ask me questions about the Haven. My wife hates the way I write, LOL. When I came back on the Joy, three months later, it was the same staff. They thought initially I was back in the Haven. That should put the extra personalized service I got into a different perspective. They are great all the time but they kind of knew me from the past. Please take that under consideration. Just thought it was important to tell the whole story. By the way, after that first drink, I never went in the Haven area again. As I said in my original post, I did not pay the premium and think those that did need full focus by the staff. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Two separate questions here. What ever the Haven Serves is available. This includes specialty coffee's. Ask for an additional shot of espresso. It should not be an issue. Adding alcohol to it will be an extra cost regardless of the drink program you have. Please don't get the two confused. The machine in the Horizon Lounge will allow you to add as many shots as you want. The French Press from the Haven Restaurant is some of the strongest I have every out outside of Europe. The French Press can be delivered to your Haven Suite by your butler. You also can go down one level to the Observation Deck to the actual Starbucks which you will have to pay for unless you have the premium Plus Beverage Package. My advice is to purchase the water package. The water in the pitcher is filtered, it has to be. It will be consumed by people. The water package is simply better water and very inexpensive. You do you. Part of the Haven Experience is to be in the Haven Port Lounge, be the first on-board and tour the Haven area's. You also get to drop off you carryon in your Haven Suite before it is ready to make it easy on you. Your guest will fully understand. Have a meeting place and time with them. Ask the Haven Desk if you can take them for a tour and this is your wedding party. They will say yes. Bring them to the Haven Sundeck for sail a way. All will be forgiven. I assure you. No crowds to beat at this pool. If it is a holiday, you might have some kids in the pool during the day time. I went on the Joy twice in the last year. First time in the Haven with my family. I don't remember the closing time of if they even had one. My recommendation is look for Dailies for the Joy on CruiseCritic.com. Go to the page for hours of operations. The service is t that said. Mistakes happen at the best dry cleaners. I would check with the Haven Desk onboard and make sure they know the importance of the clothing being pressed. That is what I would do based on how important this is. You are more than welcome. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The NCL Policy is yes, there is a charge. If you have been reading the answers to this question from others, it is clear, some butlers would take your suite cards to the starbuck counter and bring you a coffee. That has not been my experience. Since we have conflicting experiences, it seems it is a hit or miss from a butler standpoint. This happens on certain topics in the Haven Sometimes. My goal is on this and other topics to establish a realistic expectation. If the butler does this for you, you would be thrilled. If he says NO, you would be disappointed. Knowing it could go either way, lessens to expectation if it does not happen. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This is hit or miss. The buffet is your best bet just don't expect a great meal. Just tasty. Safe your appetite for dinner. I always book the Cagney's for dinner the first night if I am not in the Haven. The more important question is where to get a nice drink for the sail-a-way, LOL. The one thing I can promise you. You will never go hungry on a cruise especially NCL. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I wish you and your soon to be spouse a fantastic trip. My wife and I did our first real vacation as our Honeymoon some 43 years ago. It was on the Norwegian SS Norway, the largest cruise ship in the world at the time. Norwegian is now called NCL. 25 cruises later we sail NCL the most of all the brands. I hope you have the same wonderful memories as we have. The fact that you are in the Haven, thrills me. Let me know if in any way I can support or assist you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.