Haven room service from specialty restaurants

[Tallulah20]

I've stayed in the Haven, but have never had the butler bring food from a specialty restaurant to our room, only from the Haven restaurant. On an upcoming cruise we have 4 SDP for each of us because of upgrading to FAS+

As an example to explain my question and situation, on our last cruise we had dinner in Le Bistro and it ended up nice, but only because we had to request to be moved to a different table. They seated us at a small 2 person table that was crowded between 2 other 2 person tables. A lady at the next table was talking very loudly and coughing every where without covering her mouth. I get this is beyond NCL's control and they were very nice about accommodating us once we went to the Maitre D with our concerns. However, my husband and I are very uncomfortable when we are in such crowded places, hence we go in the Haven where it is less crowded and usually quieter. We have eaten in other specialties and feel they were the same, crowded and loud. 

I know many people will say they don't want the specialty dining in their room because it takes away from the experience, etc.... but we are more comfortable where it is not so loud and crowded. The privacy gives us a better experience.

 

I don't want or intend for this question to turn into a negative commentary on the current state of cruising or manners. I only wrote the above statements to explain why we, personally, don't like eating in the specialty restaurants. 

 

I am looking for information from people that have had room service from specialties in the Haven. Was it easy to get your butler to do it and how did it work with getting the dining plan credits applied to it. 

 

Thanks in advance 

[Pitzel]

Yes, it can certainly be done. Just give your butler plenty of advance notice so that they can make sure that they are available at that time and can coordinate with the restaurant.

- You will spend specialty dining credits if you order from a specialty restaurant, but it sounds like you knew that already
- You can only order from one specialty restaurant at a time (ex. You cannot order both from Le Bistro and Cagney's during the same dinner).
- You will need to let your butler know if you would like to have everything served all at once or if you would like to be served course-by-course. If the butler is particularly busy, they may only be able to provide all at once service.

[UKstages]

agree with all the above, although i don't think you can get a course by course dinner served by the butler. it's always all at once from a specialty restaurant, if the butler is serving it course by course, he or she is keeping it at their station, waiting for you to finish each course. they're not going half way across the ship each time to retrieve a separate course. most butlers may not even have the time to serve a course by course dinner.

[FLAHAM]

Butler deserves a generous tip for this service.

[Grammymongi]

Question about the Haven specialty dining. There are going to be 4 of us in a 2 bed villa but only two of us get the dining package, which I find odd for paying thousands of dollars but anyway…. Can the two of us that have the dining package have them swipe our card and we take the person in without the dining package. Do they have a way to track it? When my husband and I go to a specialty restaurant only one of us swipes our card.

[DMH15]

Hello.   We all have reasons why we like to dine in our suites, or not.  We have certainly done this.  After a long port day I love having a nice soak, putting on my pjs and dining at my liesure.  I have never asked for course by course.  I love Le Bistro and have my favorites.  I always consider this a special treat and appreciate my butler doing it for me with an exra nice tip bump. 

[Russiamomm]

49 minutes ago, Grammymongi said:

Question about the Haven specialty dining. There are going to be 4 of us in a 2 bed villa but only two of us get the dining package, which I find odd for paying thousands of dollars but anyway…. Can the two of us that have the dining package have them swipe our card and we take the person in without the dining package. Do they have a way to track it? When my husband and I go to a specialty restaurant only one of us swipes our card.

Uh, no.  Fairness for being in the Haven aside, the FAS dinners are per person.  They’ve always swiped our cards - or at least taken names and cabin numbers - on the way into the restaurant.  They know who is there and bump that against your packages.  At the end of the meal they do only swipe one card, but rest assured they’ve confirmed that both have the package. So, no, you can’t take four people to dinner when you’re only entitled to two meals.

[zqvol]

2 hours ago, Grammymongi said:

Question about the Haven specialty dining. There are going to be 4 of us in a 2 bed villa but only two of us get the dining package, which I find odd for paying thousands of dollars but anyway…. Can the two of us that have the dining package have them swipe our card and we take the person in without the dining package. Do they have a way to track it? When my husband and I go to a specialty restaurant only one of us swipes our card.

Entitled?

[david_sobe]

I remember back in 2009 that one of the biggest perks of a specialty restaurant was how tranquil it was compared to the MDR and buffet.  Tables were spaced apart and during your meal there would be empty tables around you.  Besides the increase in food quality it was worth the price just for the experience.  Once NCL started building Breakaway and beyond they started cramming more and more tables into the specialty dining.  The tables for 2 are so close together that you are literally sitting next to another couple inches apart.  Then came the "free" at sea promo which gives everyone access to specialty dining.  My last cruise on Encore, Cagneys was so crowded that they had to put about 8 tables outside the restaurant into the Mix bar area.  The experience has completely changed. Specialty dining is actually more crowded than the MDR at some times. 

[Grammymongi]

1 hour ago, david_sobe said:

I remember back in 2009 that one of the biggest perks of a specialty restaurant was how tranquil it was compared to the MDR and buffet.  Tables were spaced apart and during your meal there would be empty tables around you.  Besides the increase in food quality it was worth the price just for the experience.  Once NCL started building Breakaway and beyond they started cramming more and more tables into the specialty dining.  The tables for 2 are so close together that you are literally sitting next to another couple inches apart.  Then came the "free" at sea promo which gives everyone access to specialty dining.  My last cruise on Encore, Cagneys was so crowded that they had to put about 8 tables outside the restaurant into the Mix bar area.  The experience has completely changed. Specialty dining is actually more crowded than the MDR at some times. 

Seems all good things come to an end. 😞

[cruiseny4life]

20 hours ago, Tallulah20 said:

I am looking for information from people that have had room service from specialties in the Haven. Was it easy to get your butler to do it and how did it work with getting the dining plan credits applied to it. 

It's really easy. When we board the ship and have the initial conversation with the butler we talk with them about the best way to order room service. They tell us what will work best. 

 

One butler told us to give him at least a day's notice as he had a lot of rooms requesting service at the same time in the evening. Another butler told us he only needed a one hour notice as it seemed he wasn't too busy. 

 

I'd highly recommend you talk with your butler about what you're thinking about doing. You can change it up later, but at least you know what will work best for your butler which means you'll receive the best possible service. 

 

You'll still be charged for your Free at Sea specialty restaurant credit, but you'll be able to enjoy a meal in the space and comfort of your stateroom. 

 

Have a great cruise! 

[Laszlo]

My wife and I tried it once. It was nice however the food was warm. I had a steak and the mushroom soup for Le Bistro, everything was brought together. The soup was not hot and by the time I got to the steak it was warm