The NCL Haven Luxury VIP Experience "Secrets" REVISED for 2022

[graphicguy]

@Battlement…I am truly sorry to hear of your Haven experience.  Just because it didn’t happen to me doesn’t mean I’m not empathetic!  You spend a lot of money and expect a certain level of service.  You didn’t get that.

 

I’d like to believe it’s the exception rather than the rule!

[Battlement]

1 minute ago, graphicguy said:

Just because it didn’t happen to me doesn’t mean I’m not empathetic

Oh, you and the others on this board have been tremendously empathetic! I was telling my wife that it’s really awesome to have this board to share perspectives, respectfully, with folks who just want to have the best experiences possible. It would be pretty hilarious to see how Reddit or Facebook would react if I rolled in there posting about how my butler didn’t do enough for us! Believe me, I’m extremely grateful to get to cruise at all, as I think most folks on this board are. But I also think we know how a fantastic cruise can be, and I truly appreciate all the help, advice, and support I’ve found here.

[Daniel A]

6 minutes ago, Battlement said:

When I asked our butler about MDR food the one time we dared room service with him, he said ‘I only have the Haven menu. The other one changes every day’. So I probably could have gone to the MDR, asked for a menu (it’s not on the NCL app, other apps include daily menus) and then tried to convince him to bring me some French onion soup? 😂

The Haven Concierge is the Haven Manager.  Maybe a quiet word to the Concierge might have improved the situation, but it's all water under the bridge now.  I don't mean to sound like "cudder, wudder, shudder" to you, but it may help someone else to know this.  That butler needs to find a different line of work.

[Treasure Hunter]

I’m so sad. NCL needs to step up its game. Or they will lose us too. You hear a lot of MSC yacht club chatter on this board..And the new Sun Princess is moving towards a Haven /Retreat for all new builds. Princess will now have a suite restaurant instead of a cordoned off area in the MDR ( club or reserve class.) They have lovely elegant ships, well run with lots of high energy cruise staff games for sea days. The food has gone down hill since acquired by Carnival but price is great. I guess they are still cutting corners because of covid debt. 

[Greenpea2]

8 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

I’m so sad. NCL needs to step up its game. Or they will lose us too. You hear a lot of MSC yacht club chatter on this board..And the new Sun Princess is moving towards a Haven /Retreat for all new builds. Princess will now have a suite restaurant instead of a cordoned off area in the MDR ( club or reserve class.) They have lovely elegant ships, well run with lots of high energy cruise staff games for sea days. The food has gone down hill since acquired by Carnival but price is great. I guess they are still cutting corners because of covid debt. 

I think this is an isolated unsatisfactory incident. For future, though, were it to happen again, as others have said, talk to the Concierge. Nicely, of course,. Tell him/her in a reasonable conversation what you are wanting and how to go about it because you were unable to make it happen. He/she will want to know about this, trust me. I also, regarding "only having the MDR menu", would then ask, "Can you get it for me please?" And if that got a "no", I would then ask if this is something I can ask the Concierge about. They will not want you to do that. Just stay calm and polite. But firm. No, you should not have to work for it, but once in a while there is a Butler or Cabin steward, or whoever that is not really trying. Don't accept that easily.  

[Daniel A]

10 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

I think this is an isolated unsatisfactory incident. For future, though, were it to happen again, as others have said, talk to the Concierge. Nicely, of course,. Tell him/her in a reasonable conversation what you are wanting and how to go about it because you were unable to make it happen. He/she will want to know about this, trust me. I also, regarding "only having the MDR menu", would then ask, "Can you get it for me please?" And if that got a "no", I would then ask if this is something I can ask the Concierge about. They will not want you to do that. Just stay calm and polite. But firm. No, you should not have to work for it, but once in a while there is a Butler or Cabin steward, or whoever that is not really trying. Don't accept that easily.  

How many butlers are there in the Haven?  Would asking for a different butler be an option?

[cruisebeachgirl703]

21 minutes ago, Treasure Hunter said:

I’m so sad. NCL needs to step up its game. Or they will lose us too. You hear a lot of MSC yacht club chatter on this board..And the new Sun Princess is moving towards a Haven /Retreat for all new builds. Princess will now have a suite restaurant instead of a cordoned off area in the MDR ( club or reserve class.) They have lovely elegant ships, well run with lots of high energy cruise staff games for sea days. The food has gone down hill since acquired by Carnival but price is great. I guess they are still cutting corners because of covid debt. 

NCL is losing Haven regulars for sure. Partly due to cost, unhappy customers and lack of butler consistency. When onboard to enjoy my hard earned well paid for holiday, being put off by the butler for a reasonable request is not only disappointing but exhausting.

[Greenpea2]

38 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

How many butlers are there in the Haven?  Would asking for a different butler be an option?

I don't know how many. But now that you bring this up--and i totally forgot about it since it was decades ago--I am remembering the first time I was in a Suite (there were no Havens yet), on the Spirit (no longer in the fleet but a gorgeous "little" ship) our butler was a total dud. So many things not done after he saying he would, never could get a hold of him, just almost every day. Minor reasonable things. Normal understandable things. needed. Finally we spoke to the Concierge and asked if we could have a different one. She was appalled to hear the things we were concerned about and gave us a new one immediately. So I would say that YES, if things are really bad and you have spoken to the Concierge, you can have a new Butler. Probably not ideal for the new  Butler, of course, but if it is merited, I would say yes.

Edited March 31 by Greenpea2

[NclCruiuser]

for those who have left out of NYC, is the Haven check-in area any better than it had been? I can only find posts dating back to 2022 and none of them very complimentary. Small tine area, hard chairs, no snack/food area, etc.

 

Thanks... Steve

[ggTexasGal]

8 minutes ago, Greenpea2 said:

on the Spirit (no longer in the fleet but a gorgeous "little" ship) 

Is this now false? https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/spirit

[Greenpea2]

2 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

Is this now false? https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/spirit

Must be true! I lost track of the Spirit, obviously! Good to know it is still around. Really unique beauty of a ship.

[goldmom]

2 hours ago, NclCruiuser said:

for those who have left out of NYC, is the Haven check-in area any better than it had been? I can only find posts dating back to 2022 and none of them very complimentary. Small tine area, hard chairs, no snack/food area, etc.

 

Thanks... Steve

The Haven waiting area in NYC is not special.  It is small and the seats are hard, but they do have snacks.  That's about the best I can say about it.  Enjoy!

[CDR Benson]

On 3/29/2024 at 12:47 AM, Battlement said:

An update, and thanks to everyone who's been following:

 

I'd like to talk a little about butlers. 

 

I've cruised as "high end" as Oceania and Windstar, and as "entry-level" as the $299 3-day Senor Frog's run on Carnival (much younger days...ahh). But anyway, someone mentioned that butlers are hit or miss. I very much agree, and on our current cruise, our butler is very much a miss. 

 

I tipped him $100 cash on Day 1, telling him that I really wanted my wife and son to be impressed with the NCL experience, and that I would continue to pay for excellent service. We've gotten the complete opposite. You know when you go to the store, and the person at the desk seems to want to do anything but help you? By the very set of their face, you can tell they hate their job, at least at that moment, and they just don't want to do anything but the absolute bare minimum, and even that will be reluctantly?

 

Not one smile, not one thank you (even when I handed him the cash...don't you learn that in kindergarten?) Only an every-other-day visit, where we sometimes get snacks and sometimes don't. 

 

On Day 2, the boat rocked like crazy. This caused the delay that cut our shore time in half. Vomit bags were on every floor railing. Our awesome room steward came and lashed down the balcony furniture (he's great). All 3 of us got totally seasick - first time ever for me, in over 25 cruises. We called the butler for room service. He brought it an hour late (they get busy, I know). I tipped him another $20. He grumbled that the pork chop took 30 minutes to be ready. 

 

Then, because my wife was uncomfortable calling him for the dishes to be taken away, I put them in the hallway with ALL the other dishes from half the visible rooms at 11pm. 

 

He gave us the third degree about it the next day, making it clear that he looks bad if there are dishes in the hall. 

 

You can hate your job. I've been there. You can also be overwhelmed, overworked, have personal stuff going on. I get that too. 

 

But you cannot expect to last long as a butler on an expensive, exclusive area of a cruise ship if you treat your customers like crap. 

 

The bar is also overwhelmed, as the change from 2 port days to 2 sea days has vastly increased customer traffic on those days. I get it. I tipped a random server at OSheehan's 20$ just for bringing my kid a second Shirley Temple without asking (O'Sheehan's was the only food place open at 9:32PM tonight - the buffet was closed. Boat was at sea). That guy was overworked too, but he tried his best.

 

I really wanted to like NCL Haven. I really did. But between Butler McCrankyton and the mostly average food and the insanely overpacked Haven bar area...not sure I would do this line again. 

 

Sorry to be negative on this awesome thread. I know there have been extenuating circumstances on this run. We've still had a really good time, enjoying as much of the cruise as possible. Our room steward is fantastic, doing his job with a smile and a ton of great service (he's gonna get heavily tipped, even though I know he's already included in the daily Service Charges). Our cab drivers in Bermuda were amazing. There's a really cool bartender who works in the Casino and remembered my name and drink order immediately (also tipped). 

 

I don't regret booking this cruise one bit. It was a great price and the dates were perfect. 

 

One final thanks for all the advice given on this thread. If I'm being a downer, feel free to delete this. But I would want to know about this week, if I were planning an NCL Getaway Haven trip anytime soon. 

 

Battlement,

 

Sorry to be late to the party, and even sorrier to hear of your poor experience with your butler.  Alas, you're undergoing the cruise nightmare that I fretted over when we booked our first Haven cruise on Norwegian Joy two years ago.

 

You know how when you buy a new car---you've done your homework, and the auto you've selected has a reputation for fine quality and all the reviews insist that it's a great car.  Still, you have this niggling worry that you got the one lemon that rolled off the assembly line at the moment when the quality-control guy was on the phone having an argument with his wife.

 

It's the same kind of worry about what kind of experience one will have on a cruise.  For our cruise on Joy, we selected a Haven suite off the Haven proper (only a minute's elevator ride away from the Haven and a larger suite than the standard Haven courtyard suite for a less expensive price).  Following sthrngary's advice, I prepared a butler letter.  Early in this thread is some brouhaha over tipping butlers in advance ("It's a bribe!" declared some; "So, what?" was my opinion.)  I believe I was the first in that minor discussion to declare I was going to tip my butler half up front, enclosed with my butler letter, and the rest at the end of the cruise, with my fingers crossed that we would get a good butler.

 

Fortunately for us, our experience with our butler, Mr. Willie Erum, was 180-degrees-out from yours.  He was exceptional, and he got more than his promised half of the tip at the end of the cruise.  Still, for our upcoming cruise in November---same ship, same suite, because the Good Mrs. Benson enjoyed it so much---we have the same fear.  As the financial ads always warn, "Past performance is no guarantee of future results."  And your unfortunate experience drives home the fact that there are clunkers in NCL's butler staffs.

 

Thus, I am very sympathetic toward your dismaying experience.  I hope that it's a one-off situation in your cruising history.  One other reason why we've opted to go back with Norwegian is that, with NCL's military discount, the fare for our upcoming cruise is actually slightly less than the fare for the first one.  Even so, I am investigating alternatives for our next voyage.  The Yacht Club on MSC ships looks promising.

 

I trust your recent experience hasn't soured you on cruising in general.  With luck, you got the one bad time out of the way.  Everybody with multiple cruises under their belts here probably has one instance in which the service fell 'way below expectations.  As you noted, we all share your regret for yours.

 

Lastly, in one of your later posts, you noted, "Oh, you and the others on this board have been tremendously empathetic! I was telling my wife that it’s really awesome to have this board to share perspectives, respectfully, with folks who just want to have the best experiences possible."   I believe that's what keeps folks coming back and reading/posting to this thread started by sthrngary:  it meets the true definition of forum, as a place where people of good will come together for a respectful, mutual exchange of ideas.

 

Wishing you better luck on your next cruise, sir.

 

Respectfully,

Commander "No, I'm not dead, gang" Benson

 

 

Edited March 31 by CDR Benson

[RocketMan275]

5 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Those of us here have been sailing for a while.  You see all kinds of behaviors on ships and even in their premium areas.

I need to hang with  you more.  You  have much more interesting times than I do.

[Treasure Hunter]

The New York Haven lounge on shore is plain with hard back chairs but the lady at the door is lovely and the snacks ( coffee, tea, juice, pastries and cake, fruit plates ) is sufficient for the amount of time spent. The assistant concierge is welcoming and has you fill out entertainment requests and you are escorted onto the ship first.  It’s not so bad.

[Battlement]

4 hours ago, CDR Benson said:

Respectfully,

Commander "No, I'm not dead, gang" Benson

I posted a much longer reply to this most excellent post but I either never hit ‘submit’, or it was somehow deleted. Regardless:

 

We have also had one amazing butler, a subpar one (Oceania, on our honeymoon), and many who simply did the basics. Basics would have been fine here. This latest fellow from NCL was downright antagonistic (which is mainly the reason we didn’t go to concierge - do you really want to threaten the livelihood of someone who is bringing your food? Or has access to where you sleep? On vacation?!? I’ll pass on the confrontation, but I truly appreciate the advice). 
 

Also, the Haven concierge and her assistant were less than helpful. We didn’t need them for much, except to help remove the incorrect charges from my wife’s spa bill (took a few tries), but my son and I played some chess at the tables against the wall opposite the concierge desk (no other seats in Haven) and we overheard a lot of ‘playing defense’ from the main concierge. 

Bottom line: we will definitely cruise again, in fact my wife was shopping for European runs online from this cruise!

 

I very much thank CDR Benson for both this response, and your service to our country.

[graphicguy]

A few (hopefully brief) points....

 

-The Haven is the category that sells out first on NCL ships.  So, it's a very popular way to sail on NCL. The fact the Haven also carries the highest fares on board I'm sure is a heck of a boon to NCL in general.  As such, my guess has always been NCL will take care of that category of cruiser.  Do they fall down on occasion?  Sure. But, overall it's a premium product that they nurture.

 

-I do believe, just like with the general crew on ANY cruise ship....there are some less than stellar ones.  Haven is no different.  But overall, Haven crew are the tops in their field  (cruise ship crew).  I've been lucky I suppose.  I've had nothing but great Haven personnel  take care of us.  I engage with Haven crew early and often....not to necessarily give them demands or instructions (which I discourage until you establish rapport) but to ask about them, their homes, their kids, their career, NCL, etc.  Crew are like anyone else.  They have personal lives.  They enjoy sharing it.  Just be nice to them, not demanding.

 

-Celebrity Retreat is probably the closest to the Haven as far as experience.  MSC YC, while good in its own right, given the same fare, I'd still pick the Haven over YC.  YC crew, Butlers, Concierges are accommodating.  NCL is better at it (as is the Retreat).

 

-Star on Royal is something I've never sailed, but is similar to Retreat, Haven, YC.  It is CRAZY expensive.  So, unless the Star fares drop dramatically, I doubt I'll sail them.  I will say Royal's Coastal Kitchen, their upper level private restaurant is nowhere near as good as Yacht Club Restaurant, Haven Restaurant, or Celebrity's Iluminae.

[Laszlo]

My wife and I have sailed in a suite on the Gem once, soon to be twice and had a Haven Cabin on the Escape and the Getaway. The Haven crew including the our butler and concierge could not have been better. Our cabin stewards on those cruises have been better than on the cruises we have had regular balconies on. 

[graphicguy]

13 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

My wife and I have sailed in a suite on the Gem once, soon to be twice and had a Haven Cabin on the Escape and the Getaway. The Haven crew including the our butler and concierge could not have been better. Our cabin stewards on those cruises have been better than on the cruises we have had regular balconies on. 

Had an aft Suite (non Haven) on the Gem.  The crew, the concierge, the Butler, the Cabin Steward....all were outstanding.

 

Loved sitting on my aft balcony early in the a.m. and late at night, just watching the wake and listening to the water rush by.

 

We did a cabin crawl on that cruise.  The final cabin was the Garden Villa where the hosts had butlers serving snacks. What a great cabin, overlooking the entire center of the ship.

 

That was a memorable cruise.

[Laszlo]

14 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Had an aft Suite (non Haven) on the Gem.  The crew, the concierge, the Butler, the Cabin Steward....all were outstanding.

 

Loved sitting on my aft balcony early in the a.m. and late at night, just watching the wake and listening to the water rush by.

 

We did a cabin crawl on that cruise.  The final cabin was the Garden Villa where the hosts had butlers serving snacks. What a great cabin, overlooking the entire center of the ship.

 

That was a memorable cruise.

Our very first cruise was on the Gem in an Aft balcony suite. We had no idea what to do with the butler Lol. Our next cruise in June to Bermuda is in a forward balcony suite on the Gem. We made friends with the people who were staying in the 3 bedroom Garden Villa and one afternoon they invited us in and up to the their sundeck. That was pretty spectacular 

Edited April 1 by Laszlo

[NclCruiuser]

A virtual cup of coffee or cocktail of your choice as a thank you for all the great advice, especially finding out that there is a 10% discount for Military. Had already paid in full so had to call the cruise line and also Marriott Points but they applied the discount and will refund the difference back to my credit card. I do have some ancillary questions about electric plugs/adapters and shore excursions but will put them in a new post.

 

All my best...  Steve

[PatJim]

We’ve also been fortunate with Haven staff, including butlers.  Our 1st Haven suite was on the Gem back in December, 2011; our butler was Josephine.  She was friendly, knowledgeable, professional.  She walked us through what to expect, and how to best utilize her and the other Haven staff.  She was always available to answer questions or fulfill our requests.  Over the years, we got to know her well, and when she had her son, if we knew she would be onboard, we brought gifts for him.

 

The last time we saw Josephine was September 2022.  We were in the Manhattan Cruise Terminal prior to boarding when she walked in.  Hugs all around!  Even though she wasn’t our butler on that cruise, she secretly arranged to have a birthday cake delivered to our suite.

 

Pre-Haven, we booked NCL as one of the few lines that sailed out of NYC year round,  It’s our interactions with the wonderful crew—not just in the Haven—that keeps us loyal.  

[Crusing5960]

Hello, I apologize for having to ask this controversial question, but here goes…

I am about to go on a 21 day cruise and first time in the haven. I have read every page on this thread a few months ago and took many notes on tipping for Butler, Concierge, Bar, Restaurant, etc. Now I am getting my tip money ready and I can not find any of the notes on the suggestions I have read. This will be for a two person, haven cabin for 21 days. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and extremely helpful for this subject!!

[Sthrngary]

@Crusing5960 You are right, gratuities is a hot bed for debate and controversial responses.  So lets start with the normal response. 

 

• Gratuities are personal, give what you think is right based on the experience you received.
• Give the Butler his/ tip on day one.
• Give the Butler half his/her tip on day one and the other half at the end based on service. 
• Only provide gratuity to the butler at the end of the trip and only if they did a great job. 
• No need to tip the Haven Concierge, wait staff or bartender. 
• Always tip the Haven Concierge, wait staff or bartender. 
• Never give extra to the room steward.
• Always give extra to the room steward.

 

Did you get all that.  Now for what I think you are really trying to do.  You are new, you want to prepare, you want to be fair because gratuities is so important to the crew. I will share what I do and as so many people have told me over the many years, that does not make it right.

 

• Butler:  I usually give the butler between $100 and $150 per seven day cruise.  I am not sure if you will have the same stateroom and butler for the 21 days so you might want to provide the gratuities at the beginning or end of each week.  You know your situation best.  The Butlers on NCL do not participate in the pre-paid gratuities program. 
• Haven Concierge: I usually give $50.00 to the Concierge staff per seven day cruise.  Usually at the end of the week the day before we leave.  Since you are on a 21 day cruise, you can do it three times or all at once at the end.  Some pay more, some pay less, some don't tip at all. 
• Servers and Bartenders:  If you get great service or you feel it would make your future service better, provide gratuities as it seems appropriate.  I usually tip the bartender on day one with $20.00.  I do it again a couple of time if my service is good to great. Some guest do more, less and none. Servers are if the service was outstanding.  I tend to wait to the end of the cruise to pick and choose who did the best job. 

 

I am sure other will kick in.  Hope that was helpful.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

[Fogfog]

Re luggage tags for Haven

When should we expect those IF they are still being mailed? Color?

 

At embarkation: Is there a Haven drop off for luggage If we have to pre-print them ourselves.