Havenly disappointment?

[Susandt]

Did the other couples notice that you were treated differently? Sounds like the animals/ chocolate is normally only for master room but sure that could had been fixed by asking.

 

 

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[NLH Arizona]

I believe you OP! Sorry you ran into so many NCL cheerleaders :(:( but also, you should never have evenly split the cruise fare. Hindsight is 20/20? Wow at someone saying "Perhaps OP was read as cheap, right or wrong", doesn't make how you were treated acceptable!

 

knowing CC this thread will probably get deleted though in T minus 10... 9..........8................

I also believe the OP's opinion was what she said and others might have a different opinion if in the same situation. Everyone can have a different experience, kind of like some of the changes NCL has made. I wonder why some take such offense if someone disagrees with their opinion about some of the changes, but can't see that the OP is just expressing her opinion as to how she felt she was treated in the Haven.

 

OP, not all treatment is the same. On one of my cruises (I always cruise in aft penthouse suites which are not part of the Haven), I never saw or heard from the Concierge, except for embarkation day. Even on disembarkation day, she totally ignored some of us that were in non-Haven suites, even to the point that she only sat and conversed with those in the Haven while we were waiting to be disembarked and then on the gangplank leaving, she wished everyone from the Haven a fond farewell, then turn her back and walked off as the rest of us were leaving. Unfortunately, I had already put her tip on my account; lesson learned...never to do that again. So as you can see, experiences can be different. Thankfully, that was the only time I ever experienced this, but believe me, if I ever cruise with that Concierge again, I will remember how she treated a number of her suite guests on my cruise.

Edited September 25, 2016 by NLH Arizona

[ollienbertsmum]

Did the other couples notice that you were treated differently? Sounds like the animals/ chocolate is normally only for master room but sure that could had been fixed by asking.

 

 

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I am sitting here wondering what the reaction of the other couple was to the room sizes - because if I had gone with any of my family and friends and put such a clearly different standard room, I would not be asking for extra choccies from the steward - I would be insisting that there is a room change mid cruise and if the other couple refused I would be buying them a box of chocs to put beside their bed every night.

[MickeyDs]

I am sitting here wondering what the reaction of the other couple was to the room sizes - because if I had gone with any of my family and friends and put such a clearly different standard room, I would not be asking for extra choccies from the steward - I would be insisting that there is a room change mid cruise and if the other couple refused I would be buying them a box of chocs to put beside their bed every night.

 

When you have two pairs of adults in the H4s, they typically switch rooms halfway through or pay different amounts.

 

My wife and I are paying 65% of the Haven room, whereas my mom and aunt are paying 35%. We know who is staying in each room

And their differences. The expectation is already set. If we had paid 1/2 each, well then that would be ridiculous and my mom and aunt would feel cheated.

[ollienbertsmum]

When you have two pairs of adults in the H4s, they typically switch rooms halfway through or pay different amounts.

 

My wife and I are paying 65% of the Haven room, whereas my mom and aunt are paying 35%. We know who is staying in each room

And their differences. The expectation is already set. If we had paid 1/2 each, well then that would be ridiculous and my mom and aunt would feel cheated.

 

After reading this thread I started to browse 'Haven' (ridiculous because DH would throw a tantrum if I spent all our holiday cash on the accommodation rather than in the ports).

It was quite clear from the descriptions that the second room was intended for children in the Family room. I think there is a big hint there.

 

Thanks for the info MickeyD

[Sissaaaaaa]

We split the cost of the vacation evenly, and I can assure that we were not addressed as "mr" and "mrs" as our friends were. I also never said that we were lacking for towels, I said that we weren't getting all the little extra touches that they were getting.

 

Believe me, I was brand loyal to NCL before this trip and they will still be my primary cruise line, but my experience in the Haven does not make me want to experience that experience again.

 

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Shame on your friends for not paying more than you! Seriously - I would not split it down the middle if I were in the master bedroom. That's not cool!

[Sissaaaaaa]

The people in the master bedroom paid big bucks for a suite on a new ship. Anyone after the first two bookings are usually charged only a few hundred dollars.

 

Which makes it even worse that they split the cost. They basically paid a huge portion of the cruise for their "friends". Not cool at all.

[hunterjackson]

Man, I have noticed the opposite!

 

In our 2 BR the butler, concierge, HD, and wait staff absolutely spent so much more time on the people in the smaller bedroom. They brought my kids cookies, and peanut butter sandwiches...grilled cheese and of all things...CHOCOLATE on the bed.

 

The chocolate was the last straw as when my DS and DD came back to the room already asleep and we put them into the bed...there was melted chocolate everywhere the next morning.

 

On top of that, they cleaned their PJ's for FREE without them even asking.

 

We had to stuff all our dirty clothes in a paper bag and pay $25.

 

On top of everything...my kids didn't even pay for their room. Freeloaders.

[rayness]

You should have rotated the sleeping arrangements half way through on the day the sheets got changed. It would have been more fair.

 

 

This! The split wasn't even at all! The other couple should have paid more or like sauerkraut said split the sleeping arrangements. Did you look at cabin pictures and dimensions before you and your travel companion (I think you said spouse) agreed to pay half? They don't sound like good people to travel with imo.

 

 

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[April42749]

How people act affects how they get treated.

The "friends" may have been more outgoing...more assertive. So...the staff remembers them and their names.

OP may have been laid back.

 

Another theory.....the names may have been difficult. They always call DH Mr Sol...because our last name isn't easy.

[cincicruisers]

OP Sorry you did not have a good experience with the Haven. It's such a high cost cruise in the Haven I would be disappointed also.

 

Everyone has their own opinion on a situation. Hopefully you will have a better cruise next time.

[margoula]

Ouch. If you split the cost evenly, you got a really raw deal. You need to do another H4 and stick them in the closet so you're even. :D

 

I would feel slighted also......and curious as to how the bedrooms were chosen...sorry you felt disappointed....

[xcell]

First -- I think, as many have said already -- you guys got the shorter stick. I'm surprised your friend split it evenly...

 

I have cruised the H4 -- my kids slept comfortably in the smaller room and they got chocolates on their pillows (they couldn't eat them because they have a peanut allergy and we weren't sure if they would be safe). My friend had a H4 and his mother slept in that room - she loved having her own little place and door to buffer her son's snoring.

 

As per calling my name - not sure I even remember it...I know they acknowledge me in the hallways but I don't think that would make or break my cruise... I've been used to tehm calling my daughters "princess" when we first started cruising but have seen the decline over the years but I it doesn't make my cruise any worse...do you really care that much???

 

As per the restaurant playing favorites...but can you let us know...are you easy going type of people or a little high maintenance?

 

I have only had pleasant experiences with the haven, so maybe that's my bias...

[rsato]

I'm sorry to hear about your disappointing experience. Having sailed in the H4 on the Jade, Pearl, Breakaway, and most recently the Gem, I would tell anyone interested that the second bedroom/bath should be considered equivalent to the smallest inside cabin on the ship. Even the staff refers to the second bedroom as "the Kids room."

[LrgPizza]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it.

 

It's my understanding that the towel animals are for the cabin not the bed, so your cabin got towel animals just like the rest of the ship's cabins. It sucks that your friends who ripped you off this cruise hogged them and the chocolates.

Edited September 26, 2016 by LrgPizza

[suesings]

You definitely got the short end of the stick on that one! Did you pull straws for bedrooms??

 

Yeah, that is a total bummer. We will be staying in the 2 bedroom suite on the Jewel but the "closet" will be occupied by our teenage daughters. Your friends should have offered to pay quite a bit more than you guys did. I hope they got to use the nice bath tub in the masterbath at least.

[suesings]

I never said that our being in the second bedroom made the wait staff pay less attention to us. They were two separate points that I was making.

 

I have to say, I debated over posting this here for about a week, given the track record of backlash of a negative post, and decided today to post it. Maybe, I didn't word my posts exactly correct or made it seem confusing, but I seriously regret posting it. There seems to be a lot of people telling me that how I got treated couldn't have possibly happened and it must all be me and my misconstrued perception, well, we did get treated that way. Plain and simple. I started this post because I was curious to see if anyone had bad experience in the Haven. Well, just like the old saying goes, curiosity killed this cat. I give up. Consider this thread killed. Pretend it never happened and have a nice day. Enjoy your stay in the NCL bubble, I am going to hop over to the Disney bubble for a while.

 

I am so sorry Jenny. Nothing worse than being disappointed on vacation. Especially when you are paying a lot of money. Did you have a good time with your friends, at least? I know that I can sometimes imagine things to be more fantastic than they turn out to be :( Perhaps you didn't have a great butler, room steward? I know some are better than others. I know that when my expectations don't come to fruition, I carry the disappointment with me which can permeate other things as well.

 

I must say, I have been on many cruises and always participate on CC beforehand. This will be my first NCL cruise and I have definitely notice that "some" of the NCL posters (definitely not all) are not as nice as I have experienced on other cruise line boards. I noticed it almost immediately after I booked our cruise 2 months ago and started coming on the NCL boards. I am hoping it is just a coincidence and not a characteristic of the average NCL cruiser. You asked if any others were disappointed in their Haven experience, not asking for other people to negate your personal experience and tell you what you did wrong. I hope your next cruise is fantastic!!!

[david_sobe]

The OP essentially travelled in the Haven at half price, but got screwed by their "friends" into the crap room that is really there to stuff kids in, not adults. You get what you pay for. I don't think their problem is actually with NCL, it's with their "friends".

You hit the nail on the head. Your post is very direct but others like myself tried to beat around the bush to not sound so harsh. If you check my posts lately, I am the furthest person from a NCL cheerleader. The "complaints" had to do with their friends, not the cruise line. I personally don't believe the couples both paid equally for the cruise. But if that was the case, your friends are the most evil and selfish people in the world. If you have ever booked a 2 bedroom Haven suite... its probably around $6000 for the first two guests and about $400 for additional guests. Personally, I would be thrilled to tag along in the Haven for $400 and the staff could throw food at me and I would still be happy. But if its true you paid for half the price and did not share the cabin equally you have no one but yourself to blame to have such selfish friends. But I cant believe that story. Its more likely they paid a few hundred dollars and got jealous of their friends or something. There were NO complaints that were real other than the way their "friends" treated them.

[bzmom2girls]

Sorry you felt that way.

 

From our experience, the towels and snacks were placed in the living room of the suite, not either bedroom.

 

I do agree your friends screwed you over. We're taking my Mom on our next cruise. We are only having her pay the $229 in taxes for her "free 4th person fare", her dining package and her beverage package.

 

NCL divides out the confirmation price per person. You two should have only paid the 3rd and 4th person fares, not 50% of the bill.

[TSUmom]

I too am sorry you had a bad experience. We had my SIL with us on the Epic and she stayed in the 2nd bedroom, yes it was small compared to ours but she paid $499 and was just happy to be in the Med. The staff treated her just as they did us and she ate breakfast every morning alone plus she always had two mints on her pillow. The towel animals and snacks were always left in the living area for all 3 of us to enjoy.

[SuiteCruiser]

I believe there's more to experiencing the Haven than just the room that you sleep in, so don't think it would be fair to just pay the 3rd and 4th prices, but I have travelled lots of times with friends and always paid more than the others in the suite so I could have the master bedroom.

 

On the GV in 2012 on the Star we had two masters who paid $2500 each more than the person in the middle room, which is like a penthouse with a bath/shower combination.

 

On the GV in 2016 with friends, 3 stayed in the master and the rest of us in the smaller rooms (I had the smallest and had it to myself, though I was willing to share).

 

On the Epic TA in 2014, we were in the 2 bedroom and I paid $1500 more than my friend in the 2nd bedroom. We got a deal on the cruise, so it was a big difference.

 

This year on Epic TA, a friend was going to join me in the DOS in the living room and would have paid $4K less than I did. She can't come now, so I have the whole space to myself.

 

I am sorry to the OP for not having the best Haven experience. I've had some better than others, same with some non-existent butlers who didn't bring any of the food items that I requested (cookies and sandwiches instead of canapes) and others who were outstanding. I'm glad to hear that the cruise overall was fun, and hope they give the Haven a chance on their own one day.

[12thMan]

I have to vent a bit here because I can't vent to my friends. Here goes...

 

Has anyone been disappointed by their Haven experience? My husband and I shared a 2 bedroom H4 suite in the Haven on the September 10th sailing on the Escape. The other couple had the big bedroom while we had the second bedroom. While, the pull out double bed was comfortable, it was only about 6 inches off the floor, making getting out of bed a bit difficult, and the room overall was the same size as the master bathroom in the suite. My husband and I came to dub our room the closet. While we were completely content with our closet, the thing that left us with a sour taste was how we were treated by the crew in the Haven. Our friends were always referred to by their first names and we were rarely addressed as such. They received chocolates and towel animals every night while we were lucky to be getting clean towels. And if we ventured to the Haven restaurant without our friends, we had a very hard time getting served. I was very disappointed about the whole thing.

 

The rest of the ship was fantastic. We loved the Wine Lovers musical and For the Record show. Margaritaville was my favorite lunch spot. Cagney's, Food Republic and Le Bistro were delicious; Bamayos, not so much. And Robert in the Brewhouse was an awesome bartender. We spent A LOT of time there.

 

Overall, I loved the ship and will go back on it, but I will not be wasting my money on the Haven again. I go on vacation to relax, and the Haven left me feeling stressed out and crying. Over a year of anticipation and excitment only to be wishing I had gone to Disney. Lol

 

 

 

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I'm going out on a limb and say that since you "can't vent to your friends" then it's more of an issue with your relationship with them than the ship itself. With you saying that outright, I'm guessing you never discussed it with them during the cruise.

 

I'm not going to speculate on how you arranged the trip with them, but from the sounds of it this was a communication breakdown at some level.

 

 

 

 

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[biker@sea]

I have to vent a bit here because I can't vent to my friends. Here goes...

 

" we were lucky to be getting clean towels. "

 

 

 

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I assume that you do know to through the towels on the floor for replacement's.

 

Many steward's leave hanging towel as is, "the being green thing " :D

[edawn]

I never said that our being in the second bedroom made the wait staff pay less attention to us. They were two separate points that I was making.

 

I have to say, I debated over posting this here for about a week, given the track record of backlash of a negative post, and decided today to post it. Maybe, I didn't word my posts exactly correct or made it seem confusing, but I seriously regret posting it. There seems to be a lot of people telling me that how I got treated couldn't have possibly happened and it must all be me and my misconstrued perception, well, we did get treated that way. Plain and simple. I started this post because I was curious to see if anyone had bad experience in the Haven. Well, just like the old saying goes, curiosity killed this cat. I give up. Consider this thread killed. Pretend it never happened and have a nice day. Enjoy your stay in the NCL bubble, I am going to hop over to the Disney bubble for a while.

 

 

I'm sorry you were slighted on your cruise. I would be disappointed too. You're not wrong about negative posts on this board being less than well received. Actually, it's not just negative posts, it's pretty much any thread. Ask a simple question and there is always someone telling you to search first and not in a pleasant way. And it seems to me that people try to use the most objectionable word. Someone on this thread asked why you were bitter about something. They could have used offended or upset and it wouldn't have sound mean spirited. Maybe that's why so many people can't imagine that you were slighted. They're oblivious to how words and actions are perceived. Oblivious to me has a negative connotation. I could have said they don't notice the difference and it would have come across better. There are a lot of keyboard Cowboys out there. It's good to have a thick skin here.

 

 

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Edited September 26, 2016 by edawn

[khaide612]

Got through about the 2nd page of responses before I gave up.

 

To answer OP's original post - that sucks but I've never had such an experience. I've stayed in 2 bedroom Haven and non-Haven (on Jewel class) and never had an issue with being addressed by staff or service at Haven breakfast/lunch and I always get the 2nd bedroom.