Breakaway March 9, 2014 Haven family review, and a shout out to the Assistant Hotel D

[Mom2B&Z]

My family of four, DH, myself, DS1(9) and DS2(6) were in a S6 (12904) aft penthouse suite for this cruise. The ship itself is very well reviewed, but I'd like to add our experience travelling on Breakaway on a very full sailing.

 

First, if you have kids, especially little boys, get to NYC in time to see The Intrepid museum. We spent 4 hours there before our cruise and it was definitely a highlight. The Growler submarine access is included with general admission, though you need to pay extra for access to the shuttle exhibit. We got free general admission with our membership to the Canadian Science and Technology museum, so if you belong to a museum with reciprocal agreements, check it out! I was moments from paying $100 for tickets when I made this discovery...

 

As for the ship, all the previous advice about getting to port early is true. The Haven pre-boarding room is very small and chairs fill up quickly. If you sit close to the boarding door, you will likely board first. We were not escorted aboard by our butler (Carlos), rather a group went up a reserved elevator to meet Ruth the concierge and her staff. Lunch was slider hamburgers and fries, we went down to the Garden Cafe (which was a zoo!) for a snack after "lunch", and we are not huge eaters!

 

We found our cabin on our own, it was almost ready and we scared our poor room steward Luisa by going in! Our luggage arrived quickly and the cabin has lots of storage. However, most of it is in the bedroom, so the kids' clothes were stored in our room. Contrary to many posts, we found the small bathroom (right at the entrance, there is a bathroom with a small shower, toilet and sink) quite handy, especially for the kids. It was used frequently and much appreciated. The couch pulls out into a good sized bed, fine for kids and average sized adults. I'd sleep on it, though it wasn't as comfortable as the main bedroom bed ;). The main bathroom is amazing, I think we could have had a party in there! The bathtub and shower overlook the balcony, so if you don't want your kids watching you shower, pull the blind closed! The balcony is definitely the best part, it always has some shade and I could almost always pull a lounger into the sun. Coming back north we spent a lot of time on the balcony because it was sheltered from the wind, unlike the pool deck. The cabin is a good walk from the Haven, but we didn't mind.

 

Our butler Carlos kept the fridge stocked with milk and juice as requested, and graciously accommodated our dinner requests.

 

We had high hopes for the Haven area, but apparently so did a lot of other people. This cruise was during Ontario March break, there were a lot of Canadians aboard and a lot of children, so many that the splash academy would reach capacity and refuse admission until someone left. Needless to say there were a lot of kids in the Haven, some following the rules and some not. We kept a very close eye on our boys, in the pool or hot tub with them, pointing out the rules (once we found them...they are in a very small sign next to the hot tub) and ensuring they weren't yelling/running/splashing etc. Apparently there was a complaint by a "VIP" about the children in the Haven and a staff member told me (and I quote) " this is a quiet and serene area". I became livid, because I know that the Haven is not an adult only area, though decorum is expected. I planned on talking to someone at the CC M&G though unfortunately Z was ill and they left quickly. So I found a "Dear prem" box at guest services, prem is the hotel director and asked at the M&G to be notified of any issues while aboard, so they could be rectified and not have "cruise from hell" reviews on this board ;). So I wrote a note and dropped it off. Within 24 hrs Sonja the AHD had called the suite. We played a bit of phone tag but eventually had a great conversation. She verified that we and our children were welcome in the Haven and stated she would speak to several people about the issue. I truly believe she did, because we were welcomed by staff and encouraged to use the area, as we had been avoiding it based on our first experience. So if you have an issue on-board, I would encourage you to bring it up, I've never done this before and it certainly put our vacation back on track.

 

The Haven is amazing in the evening, we often had it to ourselves and had a lot of family fun! Meals in the restaurant were good, though the menu never changes. Breakfast has a buffet as well as a la carte menu, which held our interest all week. The salmon frittata is amazing! However, the lunch and supper menu got boring quickly, so if you didn't want the special you were out of luck. We had some great servers, some were just average, but better than our experiences in other MDRs on NCL.

 

The ship has lots to do and we were never bored. Watch the start/end times of the various attractions, they don't cut off the lines but just close. Many people wasted a lot of time waiting in line and never got to play. The evening times were less busy and we enjoyed the rock wall often after supper. Oh, and I rang the bell on the hardest route! There weren't as many shows that interested us, we saw Burn the Floor as a family and enjoyed it. DH and I saw Rock of Ages, I could have done without the beastiality but the music was great! I did miss having the crew talent show / cheesy NCL song at the end go the cruise, there was a crew talent show but it was mid afternoon and I think I was on the drop slide at the time...

 

Speaking of the drop slide, many children met the night requirement but not the minimum weight, which I believe was 100lbs. Several were disappointed upon this discovery. The other slides are fast too, though the yellow and purple tube slides that go in circles made me nauseous. There was a scale at the top of the drop and they weighed me (woo hoo!). I asked for the back board, it saved the skin on my back. Plug your nose at the end, you hit the slow down zone hard. For the record, the bikini stayed on, though I was worried!

 

Disembarkation was fine, there was a wait to get into the Haven restaurant (we went at 8am), but went straight off the ship, into the expedited customs line (we did have to ask and got a lot of dirty looks), and in our car parked at the pier by 9:40am.

 

We would sail Breakaway again, but only in a suite as the cabin and Haven areas provided some much needed relief from the crowds. We heard this comment from several other Haven guests, even ones from big cities! (We live in a town of 9000 people.)

 

Happy to answer any questions, as we have benefitted greatly from other cruisers' experiences!

 

 

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[dexddd]

Thanks for the review - going tomorrow.

 

On 1st day they only had sliders and not full menu in Haven for lunch?

[Godiva830]

Thanks for the review - going tomorrow.

 

 

 

On 1st day they only had sliders and not full menu in Haven for lunch?

 

 

The Haven restaurant does have it's full lunch menu on embarkation day. The restaurant opens at 12:00 and if your onboard earlier than 12:00 they're serving sliders and mini sandwiches while you wait. Save your appetite for the restaurant.

 

 

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[cookieeater]

Thanks for the review! My family of 3 (53, 50 and 17) is booked in cabin 12304 Haven aft July 6th sailing ... counting down the days! :)

[lisakoivu]

We were on the same cruise (don't know whether to celebrate or hide the fact that I'm "one of the Canadians on March Break). Drop zone weight limit 120 lbs so my mighty, but small in stature nephew could not participate, but there was plenty of other stuff to keep him busy.

[LBumb]

Good job

[peg013]

The Haven restaurant does have it's full lunch menu on embarkation day. The restaurant opens at 12:00 and if your onboard earlier than 12:00 they're serving sliders and mini sandwiches while you wait. Save your appetite for the restaurant.

 

 

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This has also been our experience. No need to go to the Garden Café when the Haven Restaurant is available. You just have to wait until noon for it to open. :)

[Mom2B&Z]

Interesting about the restaurant, we were definitely there after 12:00 noon and the restaurant was definitely not open. Don't know what happened, but it was disappointing not to sit down for lunch at a proper table. Next time we will ask to be seated!

 

 

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[mcm1970]

Thanks for the review! My family of 3 (53, 50 and 17) is booked in cabin 12304 Haven aft July 6th sailing ... counting down the days! :)

 

We are also sailing in room 12304 but on April 27. Someone posted a video of the room on YouTube and it's amazing!!! I watch it often to get pumped up for the cruise. It can't come soon enough.

Michele

[Shacky316]

Hello. We will be there in June and have a couple of questions.

 

Did you tip butler beginning/after/both?

Can butler provide breakfast/lunch/dinner/late night meals?

Can butler provide ironing services?

What was your take on H2O noise where you were at night? (I have 12 & 10 boys myself)

Is Splash filling up a common occurrence?

 

Thanks!

[gelo7]

Excellent review.

[beachmonkey]

Thank you for the well written review! I know it should go without saying, but thank you for being mindful of your children and the rules. It sounds like you were balancing the children having a lot of fun, the safety rules, and the consideration of other guests.

 

I also appreciate the balanced description of the issue and resolution by the crew. I am a big NCL fan and find their staff to be hard workers. I certainly don't envy their jobs!

 

Thanks again.

[Mom2B&Z]

Hello. We will be there in June and have a couple of questions.

 

Did you tip butler beginning/after/both?

Can butler provide breakfast/lunch/dinner/late night meals?

Can butler provide ironing services?

What was your take on H2O noise where you were at night? (I have 12 & 10 boys myself)

Is Splash filling up a common occurrence?

 

Thanks!

 

 

We tipped the butler at the end. Unfortunately we didn't see him at the end, so left the voucher with his name on it in the cabin.

We only asked for dinner in the cabin, he told us if we wanted something, just ask :). Late night meals would be from the night butler, again, we didn't use this service but it was available.

No idea about ironing, we don't iron on vacation lol!

There was definitely noise from H2O on the balcony at night. As long as the balcony door was locked, it could not be heard inside. We are used to silence at night (there is a hay field in our backyard...) and our boys go to sleep around 8:30pm on vacation, which seemed to be when the party started at H2O. They never had a problem going to sleep because of noise. I missed hearing the sound of the waves on the balcony at night, it could definitely not be heard over the party going on upstairs lol, but it wouldn't stop me from booking the cabin again.

As for Splash filling up, this is the first time we've ever had this happen, and we have always sailed at peak/school holiday times. Our boys don't spend a lot of time at Splash, but they were dissuaded by the long sign-in lines.

 

 

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[Mom2B&Z]

Thank you for the well written review! I know it should go without saying, but thank you for being mindful of your children and the rules. It sounds like you were balancing the children having a lot of fun, the safety rules, and the consideration of other guests.

 

 

 

I also appreciate the balanced description of the issue and resolution by the crew. I am a big NCL fan and find their staff to be hard workers. I certainly don't envy their jobs!

 

 

 

Thanks again.

 

 

Thanks, we try :).

I was really impressed with the way the staff handled the whole thing. Cc has described the whole Haven conundrum well, so I knew we weren't going to be welcomed with open arms by all the other passengers, but I didn't expect the initial reception we ended up getting. I do honestly believe NCL needs to either be more upfront with the fact many Haven cabins are marketed to families and these children will be in the Haven.

 

 

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[blueline7]

Many thanks for the review. First time poster. I am about to pull the trigger on our very first cruise this summer, and am seriously considering the S6. We are a family of four (kids 3 and 8). I prefer the aft layout and balcony to the 2 bedroom family suite, and also prefer the price...:D.....but my concern is that S6 isn't within the Haven itself...Can anyone offer any insight as to whether we would be missing out on Haven service or experience by staying in S6? Does the long walk make things awkward and detract from the Haven experience?

 

Your replies would be really appreciated. Many thanks.

[peg013]

Many thanks for the review. First time poster. I am about to pull the trigger on our very first cruise this summer, and am seriously considering the S6. We are a family of four (kids 3 and 8). I prefer the aft layout and balcony to the 2 bedroom family suite, and also prefer the price...:D.....but my concern is that S6 isn't within the Haven itself...Can anyone offer any insight as to whether we would be missing out on Haven service or experience by staying in S6? Does the long walk make things awkward and detract from the Haven experience?

 

Your replies would be really appreciated. Many thanks.

 

The balcony and two bathrooms makes the walk to the Haven well worthwhile IMHO. Love it. If you want two doors so you can sneak out on the balcony if the kids are sleeping in, then book Decks 11 or 14 (14 may be noisy from Spice H2O). They have a door in the bedroom and the living room that both open to the balcony. The sofa bed is plenty large enough for your two children.

Edited April 5, 2014 by peg013

[blueline7]

Many thanks for the input! Much appreciated.

 

Would we be losing out on contact with the concierge, escorts, butler services, or any other aspect by not being right IN the Haven? How long is the walk?

[peg013]

You will have an assigned Butler no matter where you are located. You will pass the Concierge desk every time you go to the haven restaurant to eat or to the haven itself. You will have to walk to the haven to be escorted off the ship or anywhere. The Haven, Lounge and Restaurant are on Deck 16 Forward. You will be totally aft but can either take the elevator to 16 and walk the length outside, or walk the length of the ship inside (following the fish that are swimming forward) and then take the elevator to Deck 16. The balcony is to die for and well worth the walk. Besides, it will allow you to eat more without gaining weight!

[blueline7]

Besides, it will allow you to eat more without gaining weight!

 

ROFL! Now that is an excellent point! :)

 

Many thanks!

[countess5]

Going to be sailing the Getaway in 12904, a couple of questions.

 

Did you feel much motion?

I have read there is vibrations.

What was the best path to the Haven?

Do you have pics of the Penthouse?

 

Thanks for the review!

[Medtech2]

I am enjoying your review but I guess I am missing the problem with the "quiet and serene" comment. Was it the tone? Because I truly don't think that quiet and serene is mutually exclusive of well behaved kids, which yours seemed to be. NCL's own advertising describes the haven as such and there was recently a huge debate here on CC about this very subject.

 

So what I am gathering is that the staff are being blasted by folks for NOT pointing out the rules or decorum of the space and also being blasted for doing so...

 

Not trying to argue but trying to get the "tone" of the problem...

 

We will be in a suite for the first time in October and I really want to know exactly what I should be expecting.

[Mom2B&Z]

I am enjoying your review but I guess I am missing the problem with the "quiet and serene" comment. Was it the tone? Because I truly don't think that quiet and serene is mutually exclusive of well behaved kids, which yours seemed to be. NCL's own advertising describes the haven as such and there was recently a huge debate here on CC about this very subject.

 

 

 

So what I am gathering is that the staff are being blasted by folks for NOT pointing out the rules or decorum of the space and also being blasted for doing so...

 

 

 

Not trying to argue but trying to get the "tone" of the problem...

 

 

 

We will be in a suite for the first time in October and I really want to know exactly what I should be expecting.

 

 

Yes, the most recent thread on the whole Haven experience was quite heated :)

I took issue with being told that our children were expected to be "quiet". You are absolutely right, the tone of the person was definitely part of the problem. I felt like I was being scolded for my children daring to speak in their regular tone of voice. I'm not saying my kids are perfect (they aren't!), but DH and I were with them in the pool and hot tub and felt their behaviour was certainly within reasonable expectations. I have to admit later in the week they were scorned by some for just walking into the Haven pool area, and they weren't making a sound.

The staff are in a tough spot, they need to enforce their own rules, but those rules don't match NCL's Haven marketing. So the rules say no jumping in the pool, splashing, spitting etc, whereas some people expect a library type experience. I think until the rules match the marketing, the staff are going to remain in this tough position.

As for what to expect, you can certainly expect noise in the Haven. It was not dead silent during our cruise, but remember, there were 1000+ children on this sailing. I highly doubt that will be the case in October.

 

 

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[JuneauWhatIMean]

Yes' date=' the most recent thread on the whole Haven experience was quite heated :)

I took issue with being told that our children were expected to be "quiet". You are absolutely right, the tone of the person was definitely part of the problem. I felt like I was being scolded for my children daring to speak in their regular tone of voice. I'm not saying my kids are perfect (they aren't!), but DH and I were with them in the pool and hot tub and felt their behaviour was certainly within reasonable expectations. I have to admit later in the week they were scorned by some for just walking into the Haven pool area, and they weren't making a sound.

The staff are in a tough spot, they need to enforce their own rules, but those rules don't match NCL's Haven marketing. So the rules say no jumping in the pool, splashing, spitting etc, whereas some people expect a library type experience. I think until the rules match the marketing, the staff are going to remain in this tough position.

As for what to expect, you can certainly expect noise in the Haven. It was not dead silent during our cruise, but remember, there were 1000+ children on this sailing. I highly doubt that will be the case in October.

 

 

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Thank you for making sure your children were well behaved. But I'm curious- Where did you see any "Haven marketing" aimed at families with children? The only thing I've seen is a few suites called "Family", which could be any type of family. And I've seen some advertising photos of the Haven that certainly didn't have any children in them. Just two, or a few, adults. And there is this quote in the Haven brochure: "A private sanctuary of comfort with a pool, sundeck, hot tub, fitness room and more". That doesn't sound very child-friendly. More adult library-like. ;) I really don't think that that little pool was designed for children playing marco polo. Especially the one with lounge chairs in it. This is nothing personal, I'm just baffled by this difference in expectations from everyone. Plus, I think children would have a lot more fun in the main pools or Kids Club. More fun than the library, methinks. :) I think you're absolutely right- NCL needs to be A LOT more clear about this.

[Mom2B&Z]

Thank you for making sure your children were well behaved. But I'm curious- Where did you see any "Haven marketing" aimed at families with children? The only thing I've seen is a few suites called "Family", which could be any type of family. And I've seen some advertising photos of the Haven that certainly didn't have any children in them. Just two, or a few, adults. And there is this quote in the Haven brochure: "A private sanctuary of comfort with a pool, sundeck, hot tub, fitness room and more". That doesn't sound very child-friendly. More adult library-like. ;) I really don't think that that little pool was designed for children playing marco polo. Especially the one with lounge chairs in it. This is nothing personal, I'm just baffled by this difference in expectations from everyone. Plus, I think children would have a lot more fun in the main pools or Kids Club. More fun than the library, methinks. :) I think you're absolutely right- NCL needs to be A LOT more clear about this.

 

 

Here's my perspective. I went to NCL.com and clicked on the family section. It has information on splash academy, adult only activities, ship activities and accommodations. I clicked on the accommodations link, it brought me to this page: http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/freestyle-family-fun/accommodations. The second option for accommodations is a two bedroom Haven suite. I clicked on this link, it brought me to the Haven page.

If NCL didn't want families in the Haven, it wouldn't be this easy ;)

I think the problem is expectations. I do think an area described as a "private area of sanctuary" can have well behaved children. A sanctuary isn't necessarily silent, but it certainly doesn't have crowds. There are many families who, for various reasons, don't want to be on the main pool deck 24/7. Mine certainly can't handle it, we go into sensory overload. My children preferred the Haven pool because no one (for the most part...) was jumping on top of them. People didn't brag about spending 3 hrs in a hot tub with a beer in their hand :roll eyes: Plus the assistant hotel director verified that my children were welcome in the Haven and we were encouraged to use the area with them. So regardless how the area was designed, or that people *think* children should not use the area, they are welcome to do so.

 

 

 

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[cruisinsly]

Here's my perspective. I went to NCL.com and clicked on the family section. It has information on splash academy' date=' adult only activities, ship activities and accommodations. I clicked on the accommodations link, it brought me to this page: http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/freestyle-family-fun/accommodations. The second option for accommodations is a two bedroom Haven suite. I clicked on this link, it brought me to the Haven page.

If NCL didn't want families in the Haven, it wouldn't be this easy ;)

I think the problem is expectations. I do think an area described as a "private area of sanctuary" can have well behaved children. A sanctuary isn't necessarily silent, but it certainly doesn't have crowds. There are many families who, for various reasons, don't want to be on the main pool deck 24/7. Mine certainly can't handle it, we go into sensory overload. My children preferred the Haven pool because no one (for the most part...) was jumping on top of them. People didn't brag about spending 3 hrs in a hot tub with a beer in their hand :roll eyes: Plus the assistant hotel director verified that my children were welcome in the Haven and we were encouraged to use the area with them. So regardless how the area was designed, or that people *think* children should not use the area, they are welcome to do so.

 

 

 

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OMGosh! I am reading this and thinking we are in for a huge disappointment. Our son has Autism Spectrum Disorder and he talks louder than most children his age. Not screaming, just a little louder, especially when he becomes excited. His godmother upgraded us to the Haven because she thought it would be a better place (less sensory) for him to jump in the pool at times. I really hope that other passengers will not give us issues about our son, especially when he has special needs. I guess we will need to bring some type of proof from his doctor to prove that he is ASD since he looks like any other kid that you come in contact with.