NCL Escape – Haven - 15-22 October 2016

[IggleDoer]

We recently sailed the Norwegian Escape with the standard itinerary (St. Thomas, Tortola, and Nassau). I am 70, my wife a few years behind. We bought our adult daughter along for her birthday, staying in a Haven 2 bedroom suite (H4). We have sailed about 20 times before, with most of the major cruise lines. We have sailed three times on NCL, in a suite each time. We are professionals and are rather aloof when it comes to cruising. We are happy to sit on our balcony all day and watch the world go by, while we read books and professional journals. Great customer service is expected. Rarely do we mingle with the other passengers. The Haven setup is just perfect for us, planning to stay 90% of the time in the Haven with rare venturing out of our cocoon.

Embarkation and disembarkation were quite stress-free (after arriving a little after 11 AM), taking about 25 minutes to board after security. Most of the time was spent walking to the ship. Every time we arrived at a VIP lounge along the way, they called us to go to the next stop. The lines were always moving. It took about 15 minutes to disembark, ship to curb.

[IggleDoer]

The room was quite nice with one of the better bathrooms I have ever seen. There was plenty of storage in the suite – We could have packed twice as much and still had room. The main bedroom had a large bed, but there was little room to maneuver to the far side. The sea was a little rough, but not as rough as on other cruises. Still little bumps and sways were more evident on the Escape. Perhaps it was due to being on the 17th floor, but it still seemed apparent on the lower floors. The butler and steward were quietly efficient but not as personable as we saw on other ships. We told him our order for breakfast every morning, to be delivered to the balcony. We were told that we should fill out a card and hang it on the door every morning. After requesting that the ice bucket be kept full at all times during the day, we found ourselves having to ask for ice on several occasions. The butler and steward told us they had other things to do but will get with it shortly – something we never saw with other ships. It wasn’t like we were asking for ice at 3 AM either. Usually 2-3 fills per day would do the trick for us. It seemed that either the butler was overworked or just not sufficiently attuned to customer service.

On the inside entry of the room was a little “switch” that must be activated in order to keep the lights on when you leave the room. You just insert a card to activate. If you don’t, the power to outlets goes off in the room and you cannot charge any devices. You could use an old hotel key card, or use the card that is provided to you. There are also regular switches inside the doorway that activate “do not disturb” and “make up room” lights on the outside of the room.

[IggleDoer]

Our concierge was Adrian, who did a great job of holding things together, making Haven passengers happy. His assistant was Rashida, who was fabulous! Several of the bon voyage gifts that were sent by friends and family were not in the suite upon our arrival. Rashida unraveled these issues with aplomb, never missing a beat. As opposed to other Haven cruises (from our own experience, or from CC reviewers or comments), there were no apparent incursions by non-Haven passengers. Similarly there were no unruly children in the pool/atrium area. Parents always kept their kids in tow. Somehow, I credit Adrian with preserving the ambiance of the Haven.

Dinner was at the Haven restaurant every night except one night at Cagney’s (we had the UDP). The Haven restaurant offered better food and service, although the Cagney’s was just a shade below. All the service staff were excellent, but Mereshaud and Annalise were the best! I made a special request for Mereshaud to see if he could obtain ‘wet’ figs (which were not on the breakfast menu). On other ships, when found, they got figs for the next day. I would have been quite happy with that, but Mereshaud found them for me within five to ten minutes. Good job! The restaurant staff was especially welcoming and accommodating to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. Thanks!

The Haven bar was mostly manned by Marc and Branco, who, besides dispensing excellent potions, reveled us in their knowledge of their trade. Highly entertaining!

[IggleDoer]

And now some disconcerting factors. It seemed that as soon as we left the Haven, the whole personality of the staff changed. Most of the staff outside the Haven ranged from gloomy to downright rude. They were just doing their job and it was apparent that many did not like being where they were. It reminded me of the Upstairs Downstairs effect, where the crew was more polite to the well-heeled passengers and less so to the majority of the passengers. Besides the smoke, we didn’t want to come back to the casino again (and we are usually regulars on other ships). The only bright spot was Tara, who kept an upbeat and entertaining attitude towards her customers.

There were several things about the ship’s approach to personal cleanliness which I felt was somewhat lacking (I am a physician). There was a paucity of hand cleaner (i.e. Purell) dispensers, notably in critical areas. This can be disconcerting in the wake of cruise ship Norovirus issues. Many of the doors to public places are opened by pressing a button beside the door, instead of motion detectors attached to door openers. Since many people use their hands to touch the button (it seems to respond only to human touch – I tried to hit the button with the side of a tray, but it was a no-go), you may be touching what other people had touched before. That’s how germs get spread! It would be a good idea to have a hand cleaner dispenser on each side of any door that are activated by buttons.

On the fifth day of the cruise, a letter was sent to each passenger, explaining that there was an outbreak of gastrointestinal disease on the ship and steps that would be taken by the crew to prevent its spread. There were also recommendations for passengers. These were put in place immediately - menus were paper without a cover. Buffets would not allow passengers to serve them self and staff wearing gloves would serve food, etc.

The next day, I noted some sediment in the hot tub. While it could have been sand, it also could have been poop from a baby in diapers that was in the hot tub earlier. I informed the staff and they apparently did nothing about it. The hot tub wasn’t closed down and there were no apparent attempts to clean it. Needless to say, I didn’t go in the tub and warned others about the situation. The next morning, the debris was still there.

All in all, it was a good cruise, but NCL needs to step up their game.

[mirp]

Interesting review; especially the upstairs downstairs element.

 

 

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[Kaptivate]

Thanks for the review. We have yet to venture to those bigger ships because we are nervous about the added number of people in the haven areas and as you know, some people have written terrible things about children not being parented. This is a good peak into what the haven area on this ship can be like and I for one appreciate that.

 

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[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[Tasm3n]

Thank you for the pictures and the review! That is the exact room we have booked for our upcoming January cruise.

[easyboy]

Thanks for your honest review.

[scopewest]

Thanks for posting, I enjoyed reading your comments.

[cyndepet]

Thanks for your review. We are doing this itinerary in the Haven next year and appreciate that you took the time to post about your experience!

[cruisequeen4ever]

Your Haven perspective was interesting to consider. If you want a true respite from the world, Haven will provide you with it. It also probably protected you pretty well from noro. I can see spending the money on Haven if you want a complete escape from chaos and crowds and just want pure relaxation and luxury.

 

 

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[IggleDoer]

AFAIK, there were no cases of GI illness reported from the Haven on our cruise.

[L1211]

And now some disconcerting factors. It seemed that as soon as we left the Haven, the whole personality of the staff changed. Most of the staff outside the Haven ranged from gloomy to downright rude. They were just doing their job and it was apparent that many did not like being where they were. It reminded me of the Upstairs Downstairs effect, where the crew was more polite to the well-heeled passengers and less so to the majority of the passengers. Besides the smoke, we didn’t want to come back to the casino again (and we are usually regulars on other ships). The only bright spot was Tara, who kept an upbeat and entertaining attitude towards her customers.

There were several things about the ship’s approach to personal cleanliness which I felt was somewhat lacking (I am a physician). There was a paucity of hand cleaner (i.e. Purell) dispensers, notably in critical areas. This can be disconcerting in the wake of cruise ship Norovirus issues. Many of the doors to public places are opened by pressing a button beside the door, instead of motion detectors attached to door openers. Since many people use their hands to touch the button (it seems to respond only to human touch – I tried to hit the button with the side of a tray, but it was a no-go), you may be touching what other people had touched before. That’s how germs get spread! It would be a good idea to have a hand cleaner dispenser on each side of any door that are activated by buttons.

On the fifth day of the cruise, a letter was sent to each passenger, explaining that there was an outbreak of gastrointestinal disease on the ship and steps that would be taken by the crew to prevent its spread. There were also recommendations for passengers. These were put in place immediately - menus were paper without a cover. Buffets would not allow passengers to serve them self and staff wearing gloves would serve food, etc.

The next day, I noted some sediment in the hot tub. While it could have been sand, it also could have been poop from a baby in diapers that was in the hot tub earlier. I informed the staff and they apparently did nothing about it. The hot tub wasn’t closed down and there were no apparent attempts to clean it. Needless to say, I didn’t go in the tub and warned others about the situation. The next morning, the debris was still there.

All in all, it was a good cruise, but NCL needs to step up their game.

How blessed you must have felt to be spared the the riff-raff of steerage class passengers better known as the "downstairs" lot. Must have been a shock to the "upstairs" system to experience such depravity outside the Haven walls. No wait, we we're steerage class passengers and yet we're actually "well-heeled" executives who found the staff to be friendly, hardworking and delightful. How shocking.

[Two Wheels Only]

Many of the doors to public places are opened by pressing a button beside the door, instead of motion detectors attached to door openers. Since many people use their hands to touch the button (it seems to respond only to human touch – I tried to hit the button with the side of a tray, but it was a no-go), you may be touching what other people had touched before.

 

Backhands, forearms, elbows and (surprisingly) knees also work on the sensors. :D

[rfkeith10]

IggleDoer--Thank you for your review. We enjoyed your observations of the Haven. Teresia and I share many of the same demographics you identified in your posts. We are about the same age; have taken about the same number of cruises and are "hooked" on the suite life. We are also the kind of folks that would rather enjoy our balcony than fight the crowds on deck.

 

We were on your cruise and stayed in a suite. The difference was that we chose an Aft suite with a giant balcony that was not part of the Haven. We still had access to the Haven and enjoyed its perks throughout the cruise. Adrian and the Staff took very good care of us but felt that our Butler could have been a bit more attentive.

 

Not residing in the Haven allowed us ample time to explore the ship and attend many of different activities. We also had the opportunity to dine at several of the different dining venues. Our experiences with ALL of the ship's staff were all very positive. In thinking back, I don't believe we encountered a single crew member that didn't have a terrific and caring attitude.

 

We are sorry that you didn't experience the same type of professionalism and warmth of the ship's crew outside of the Haven.

 

Unfortunately, we both came down with the dreaded virus on the last afternoon. So at least two of the Haven "guests" were effected by the outbreak. Not fun, but we enjoyed all that the ship had to offer.

 

Ray & Teresia

[purpletequila]

How blessed you must have felt to be spared the the riff-raff of steerage class passengers better known as the "downstairs" lot. Must have been a shock to the "upstairs" system to experience such depravity outside the Haven walls. No wait, we we're steerage class passengers and yet we're actually "well-heeled" executives who found the staff to be friendly, hardworking and delightful. How shocking.

 

Wow. I didn't take his comments that way at all.

[IggleDoer]

Rfkeith: Sorry to hear of your family's illnesses. I had Noro in 2002, when it was still called "Norwalk" virus. I was debilitated from day 2 to 6 of the cruise. I don't know how I would have made it to or through the airport, if I hadn't recovered. Hope you folks have rebuilt your strength.

 

My reference to "downstairs" was about the staff, as in the drama. In no way did I see differences among the passengers. It was my hope that NCL would recognize thiat the staff appeared overworked and depressed and would something about. I'm sorry that it wasn't abundantly clear.

[rojoand8]

My husband and I were on the Oct 22nd sailing of the Escape. I surprised my husband with upgrading to A Haven Spa Suite. It took me 10 years since our last cruise to get my husband to cruise again. Before this we had cruised 5 times, 2 on NCL, 1 on Celebrity, 1 on Holland America and 1 on Princess. All of these cruises were good. However, my husband told me that I spoiled him and he won't cruise again unless it's in a suite. We are definitely not affluent. We didn't use the Haven Courtyard or pool very much. It was the extra things like the bed, the shower and the size of the bathroom that made the difference. We did venture out to the rest of the ship and found all of the staff polite and cheerful. However, the lines to get into places like O'Sheehans and the MDRs were looong. That's when we said "let's go up to the Haven". The best feature of the Haven is the special embarkation and debarkation, especially at ports for excursions. We used our butler once for in-room breakfast on our 7:00 excursion day. So now if I ever want to cruise again in my lifetime (we're 68) I have to find the equivalent of the Haven. By search begins.

 

 

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[mafig]

thank you for your review.

 

We passed on booking the Haven for around this same time period (went with Yacht Club on Divina instead), mainly because of the problems I read about out-of-control children in the Haven. Very happy to hear there wasn't a problem (except, of course, the hot tub).

 

:)

[hbe]

thank you for your review.

 

We passed on booking the Haven for around this same time period (went with Yacht Club on Divina instead), mainly because of the problems I read about out-of-control children in the Haven. Very happy to hear there wasn't a problem (except, of course, the hot tub).

 

:)

Can you tell how you compared the Yacht Club to the Haven. I was thinking about trying the YC. thanks

[mafig]

Can you tell how you compared the Yacht Club to the Haven. I was thinking about trying the YC. thanks

 

I really can't. I've been in suites on NCL but not the Haven.

However, here's what I can tell you from my experience in YC .

 

The suite is bigger on NCL. MSC's suite is smaller, but very nice.

On MSC you embark the ship via a private entrance. Go to the white tent, a butler takes your bags and you are escorted onto the ship. You set up your account at the Concierge Desk, including telling what newspaper you want delivered in the morning.

 

LeMuse is the dedicated restaurant. Drinks are included, except for bottles of wine.

 

Top Sail Lounge - very large Lounge, with views from the front of the ship. never crowded. Serves drinks, coffee, has snacks which are replenished every two hours. Piano player, violinist at night. Serves tea at 4 PM.

 

One Pool - two hot tubs, a pool, bar service and buffet where you can also order omelets, pancakes or waffles freshly made.

 

Mini bar in your suite .... stocked twice daily. Soda, juice, mini bottles of liquor and snacks.

 

Butler. Will escort you off the ship when in port. Ours gave us rain jackets,

water and snacks to take with us in San Juan.

 

Concierge Desk within the YC, so you don't have to stand in line downstairs.

 

Private elevator to Spa. Priority overide on certain elevators to go directly to the YC.

 

Butler assists at disembarkation.

 

I think there's only 79 suites in the Yacht Club, so it's never crowded. They don't have those large suites that encourage large groups.

They get to know who you are. You never have to show your card for a drink.

We tipped our butler and wait staff extra. However they are included in the tipping pool and MSC discourages additional tipping, so any tips you give should be done discretely.

 

We only paid $1800 per person. Daily service $ even in YC is $12 p/p per day.

 

And they Status Match. Whatever level you are on NCL (or any other line) they will match that status to a comparable status on MSC.

 

 

They have several new ships coming out. We'll probably be trying Seaside when she comes to Miami.

 

MSC is a slightly different experience .... more European, more Italian .... They're not perfect, but they are trying very hard to be a player here in the US.:)

Edited October 31, 2016 by mafig

[detroitlions]

Rfkeith: Sorry to hear of your family's illnesses. I had Noro in 2002, when it was still called "Norwalk" virus. I was debilitated from day 2 to 6 of the cruise. I don't know how I would have made it to or through the airport, if I hadn't recovered. Hope you folks have rebuilt your strength.

 

My reference to "downstairs" was about the staff, as in the drama. In no way did I see differences among the passengers. It was my hope that NCL would recognize thiat the staff appeared overworked and depressed and would something about. I'm sorry that it wasn't abundantly clear.

Now I figured every one knows that hot tubs are not good for babies. Am I correct?

I think if anything if it was a diaper blow out it came from an adult that wears the depends. I find these folk more abundant then children when I cruise the cheaper off season cruises since they are like half price.

[easyboy]

My husband and I were on the Oct 22nd sailing of the Escape. I surprised my husband with upgrading to A Haven Spa Suite. It took me 10 years since our last cruise to get my husband to cruise again. Before this we had cruised 5 times, 2 on NCL, 1 on Celebrity, 1 on Holland America and 1 on Princess. All of these cruises were good. However, my husband told me that I spoiled him and he won't cruise again unless it's in a suite. We are definitely not affluent. We didn't use the Haven Courtyard or pool very much. It was the extra things like the bed, the shower and the size of the bathroom that made the difference. We did venture out to the rest of the ship and found all of the staff polite and cheerful. However, the lines to get into places like O'Sheehans and the MDRs were looong. That's when we said "let's go up to the Haven". The best feature of the Haven is the special embarkation and debarkation, especially at ports for excursions. We used our butler once for in-room breakfast on our 7:00 excursion day. So now if I ever want to cruise again in my lifetime (we're 68) I have to find the equivalent of the Haven. By search begins.

 

 

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That is the problem with cruising in a suite. It becomes a habit.[emoji4]

 

 

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[hbe]

I really can't. I've been in suites on NCL but not the Haven.

However, here's what I can tell you from my experience in YC .

 

The suite is bigger on NCL. MSC's suite is smaller, but very nice.

On MSC you embark the ship via a private entrance. Go to the white tent, a butler takes your bags and you are escorted onto the ship. You set up your account at the Concierge Desk, including telling what newspaper you want delivered in the morning.

 

LeMuse is the dedicated restaurant. Drinks are included, except for bottles of wine.

 

Top Sail Lounge - very large Lounge, with views from the front of the ship. never crowded. Serves drinks, coffee, has snacks which are replenished every two hours. Piano player, violinist at night. Serves tea at 4 PM.

 

One Pool - two hot tubs, a pool, bar service and buffet where you can also order omelets, pancakes or waffles freshly made.

 

Mini bar in your suite .... stocked twice daily. Soda, juice, mini bottles of liquor and snacks.

 

Butler. Will escort you off the ship when in port. Ours gave us rain jackets,

water and snacks to take with us in San Juan.

 

Concierge Desk within the YC, so you don't have to stand in line downstairs.

 

Private elevator to Spa. Priority overide on certain elevators to go directly to the YC.

 

Butler assists at disembarkation.

 

I think there's only 79 suites in the Yacht Club, so it's never crowded. They don't have those large suites that encourage large groups.

They get to know who you are. You never have to show your card for a drink.

We tipped our butler and wait staff extra. However they are included in the tipping pool and MSC discourages additional tipping, so any tips you give should be done discretely.

 

We only paid $1800 per person. Daily service $ even in YC is $12 p/p per day.

 

And they Status Match. Whatever level you are on NCL (or any other line) they will match that status to a comparable status on MSC.

 

 

They have several new ships coming out. We'll probably be trying Seaside when she comes to Miami.

 

MSC is a slightly different experience .... more European, more Italian .... They're not perfect, but they are trying very hard to be a player here in the US.:)

 

Thank you.