Questions re: Haven perks & gratuities

[tmcrew]

Hi!

We have recently upgraded to a S6 Haven Penthouse on the Breakaway December 15th sailing. As this is our first experience with the Haven, we have many questions about the available perks.

We are aware of the butler, concierge, private courtyard, priority embarkation and disembarkation. But, we have read about free bottle of champagne and bottles of liquor in suite, free bottled water and soda, breakfast or lunch at Cagney's free of surcharge?? Sounds almost too good to be true? If anyone has any details about their favorite Haven perks, that would be great if you could share!

Also, we are unsure about the gratuity amount that is over and above the service charge. We are aware that it is our discretion, but would like to have an estimate so that we can budget for it.

Thank you in advance for any insight and advice you can provide! Marla

[sverigecruiser]

Hi!

We have recently upgraded to a S6 Haven Penthouse on the Breakaway December 15th sailing. As this is our first experience with the Haven, we have many questions about the available perks.

We are aware of the butler, concierge, private courtyard, priority embarkation and disembarkation. But, we have read about free bottle of champagne and bottles of liquor in suite, free bottled water and soda, breakfast or lunch at Cagney's free of surcharge?? Sounds almost too good to be true? If anyone has any details about their favorite Haven perks, that would be great if you could share!

Also, we are unsure about the gratuity amount that is over and above the service charge. We are aware that it is our discretion, but would like to have an estimate so that we can budget for it.

Thank you in advance for any insight and advice you can provide! Marla

 

In a S6 you will not get Champagne but a bottle of cheap sparkling wine and you will not get any bottles of liquor or soda. You will get one bottle of bottled water.

 

On the Breakaway you will not get breakfast or lunch at Cagney's but they have the special Haven restaurant where you will get breakfast, lunch and dinner.

[OnTheGoMom921]

Congratulations, and enjoy your S6. I have tons of photos and a review in my signature of our S6 on the Breakaway.

You will get sparkling wine (can't call it champagne) and a large bottle of water in your suite. Feel free to ask your butler for anything. I asked for peach nectar to make my sparkling wine in to Bellini's. Or you can ask for OJ for Mimosa's. He will also empty your honor bar and fill it with anything you request (pitcher of iced tea or lemonade, milk for kids or cream for coffee, etc.) those choices have no upcharge, all included in fare. We also wrote an introduction letter to our butler, outlining some of our needs. We included our next morning breakfast order from the Haven Restaurant, and requested it be served on our balcony (weather permitting, of course). We also had planned on having guests and gave him the date/time for setting up a small table of snacks and juices on our balcony for 20 guests. Also, let your butler know what your favorite snacks are, such as cookies or chocolates. You can also choose DVDs for your suite, and even have a standing midnight snack or ice cream sundae delivered via your butler.

The Haven Restaurant was a wonderful place to enjoy a meal. Much more upscale service than the MDR and the restaurant staff treated us like royalty. All selections for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner were better quality than the buffet or MDR, and the ambiance in the restaurant was lovely. You will love this perk.

We felt the need to be extremely generous with our additional tips for the staff that served us, but they earned each and every cent. We gave tips to our butler, the concierge (not as much as butler, didn't do as much for us), an additional large tip to our wonderful room steward, Joemar. He really deserved it! We also tipped our Maître d from the Haven Restaurant, Mr. Singh (wonderful service) as well as our two waitresses, Michelle and Valentina, and our Haven bartender, Jelly Bean. I'm sorry to not list the amount, but you really have to use your own judgment. We had small envelopes with their names and divvied them out on the final day of the cruise. I even had a small box of chocolates each for butler and steward and attached a thank you card, with the cash inside.

Please feel free to peruse my review below, just click on the link and enjoy your cruise!!

Edited November 10, 2013 by OnTheGoMom921

[Tiggertastic]

As you are on the breakaway, breakfast and lunch is the the haven restaurant and not cagneys

 

The gratuity is the service charge, you are not expected to pay more unless you want to give extra tips

 

you are going to love it in there - even for the peace and quiet on the haven sun deck where there are cabanas, piped music and drinks service without having to pay to go into the posh area on the main deck

[cruise4kicks]

The gratuity is the service charge, you are not expected to pay more unless you want to give extra tips

 

:eek:

 

The butler and concierge are NOT included in the pool for the daily service charge, so you will definitely want to consider tipping them separately.

 

... But then you knew that already. ;)

[bear3412]

And here is some discussion about tipping those not included in the DSC. :)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1923262&highlight=tipping+butler+and+concierge

[dshanesmom]

I found it was easier to tip wait staff at the end of each meal in Cagney's because we didn't have the same server every time and I worried about who the concierge gave our lump sum tip to, that way I knew the server always got the money.

[cruise4kicks]

I found it was easier to tip wait staff at the end of each meal in Cagney's because we didn't have the same server every time and I worried about who the concierge gave our lump sum tip to, that way I knew the server always got the money.

 

We've been known to give a lump-sum tip to the maitre'd and ask them to distribute it to the staff.

[tmcrew]

Thank you to everyone who posted on this thread. Your information and input was great! A very special THANK YOU goes out to OnTheGoMom921!!! Your review and pictures of the Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse are AWESOME! We were thrilled with our upgrade but your information has raised our excitement level so high. We cannot wait to experiece the Haven amenities and see the new Breakaway. Thanks again for all of your input! Happy crusin' !!

[tmcrew]

OnTheGoMom921- A very special THANK YOU to you for all of your information about the Haven Penthouse. Your pictures are super and all of the information is very helpful. Thank you so much!!!!

[OnTheGoMom921]

So glad it was helpful to you!! I know how much I scoured websites for any information when I first started cruising. With the Breakaway, it was even harder, as the ship wasn't even built when we booked! Have a wonderful cruise and remember...if there is something you want, please ASK your steward or butler for it. If they can do it for you...THEY WILL :):). And you know, the worst case scenario is that they say 'no', but so many people come back here afterward to say "my butler didn't do this," or "I didn't see my steward the entire trip"

PS, IF you don't see them, use the phone!!! it has their extensions built right in and you just press 1 button. It rings to a cordless they wear on their belt!! Very convenient! :D

[SouthernBelle_N_Louisiana]

Question about special snacks and beverages brought to suite for the party of 20 people.... Is there a fee for those items or are they a part of the fare? If it is not included, my assumption would be that we would want to thank the butler for those services with the extra tip??

 

All of these services in the Haven area sound fabulous but I am unsure what we would be billed for those extra food/beverage services.

 

Thanks!

Robin

[WaldosPepper]

Question about special snacks and beverages brought to suite for the party of 20 people.... Is there a fee for those items or are they a part of the fare? If it is not included, my assumption would be that we would want to thank the butler for those services with the extra tip??

 

All of these services in the Haven area sound fabulous but I am unsure what we would be billed for those extra food/beverage services.

 

Thanks!

Robin

 

If you were to order simple things that are readily available elsewhere on the ship, then you will not be charged at all. Examples would be plates of sliced fruits, crudite, cheeses and breads/crackers, cookies/brownies, chips, etc. Your Butler will make all of the arrangements, and display things beautifully as well.

 

If you were to order more complicated or expensive items such as shrimp cocktail, seafood appetizers, etc. then you would incur charges.

 

Regardless of which way you decide to go, this service should absolutely be taken into consideration when it's time to calculate your gratuity for the Butler.

 

Have a wonderful time!

 

:)

[OnTheGoMom921]

If you were to order simple things that are readily available elsewhere on the ship, then you will not be charged at all. Examples would be plates of sliced fruits, crudite, cheeses and breads/crackers, cookies/brownies, chips, etc. Your Butler will make all of the arrangements, and display things beautifully as well.

 

If you were to order more complicated or expensive items such as shrimp cocktail, seafood appetizers, etc. then you would incur charges.

 

Regardless of which way you decide to go, this service should absolutely be taken into consideration when it's time to calculate your gratuity for the Butler.

 

Have a wonderful time!

 

:)

 

 

Exactly! We asked for cheese and crackers, fruit platters and cookie platters. Iced tea and lemonade were served in pitchers. No charge for any of these items. We did, however, tip our butler very well at the end of the week. :)