Issues with butler service in Haven Aft Penthouses?

[Lupush]

We will be sailing on Breakaway this coming Sunday in an Aft Penthouse.  I've read some reviews that have said that Aft Penthouse guests have had difficulty getting assistance from their butlers.  We don't use the butler for much besides requesting ice, and the occasional meal and gummy bears for our Son.  Has anyone been in an Aft Penthouse recently and can share their experience?

 

Thanks!

[TrinaLC]

We did not get good butler service aft. All we wanted was regular ice deliveries. We ended bringing our bucket to a bar.  

 

That at may have been butler specific. Your needs are pretty modest and should be met.  

[perditax]

We weren't able to get them to not bring us canapes, etc. (In other words, we asked to not receive them so they wouldn't go to waste and take up table space, received them anyway.)

Took a couple of days to get tea bags in the room, but I think that's the room steward. 

 

Also steward (I think): we received our luggage, and regular room servicing each day, way later than the rooms in the forward/Haven 'proper'. 

 

Breakaway Aft Haven, April

Edited June 26, 2019 by perditax

[gmbhardy]

We were in a Haven aft suite on the Getaway this past February. The room is great and the balcony fabulous. The butler service not so much. When you fly in the same day as embarkation,  I find you’re kind of in a zombie state the first night. As a result, we forgot to put out our breakfast order befor we turned in. The next morning I called the butler’s number and ordered a pot of coffee and some pastries. Our butler eventually arrived with our order and literally scolded me for ordering breakfast in the morning. We are pretty low maintenance and don’t use the butlers for much. We ordered one more room service breakfast and requested some additional chocolate dipped strawberries. My wife’s birthday fell on the cruise. Our room was decocted and a nice birthday cake was delivered to the room. On the second to last night we left our butler a tip. I thought it was a fair tip but I don’t think he did because we did not receive any snacks on the final afternoon. FYI, whenever we saw our butler ne seemed frazzled and out of breath, probably because of servicing aft suites.

[elwood_98034]

We initially had an aft Haven booked until I read a post from a guy who reported that he and his wife lost weight during their cruise. He attributed it to the trek forward to the Haven three times a day. Fitness+

 

We are now three cabins down from the Haven restaurant. Nom. Nom. If I wanted to spend hours running around fighting huge crowds for free snacks I would just go to Costco on Saturday morning.

[Two Wheels Only]

Butlers rotate. You might get a great one. You might get a not so great one.

 

The butler, not the location, is the deciding factor.

[Paphillyguy]

We were in the Haven on the Escape this past March.  While not in the Aft, our butler was non existent.  So I think it's not so much the location as it is the butler.  

Edited June 26, 2019 by Paphillyguy

[Lupush]

11 minutes ago, elwood_98034 said:

We initially had an aft Haven booked until I read a post from a guy who reported that he and his wife lost weight during their cruise. He attributed it to the trek forward to the Haven three times a day. Fitness+

 

We are now three cabins down from the Haven restaurant. Nom. Nom. If I wanted to spend hours running around fighting huge crowds for free snacks I would just go to Costco on Saturday morning.

Thank you for adding absolutely nothing to another thread.

[david_sobe]

You can also be located directly in the Haven and not see your butler.  We don't really use them but did not meet ours until the 3rd day of the cruise once.  Another time we got to actually use the butler and called for drinks. He was too busy so they actually sent someone from the Atrium bar to deliver drinks all the way to the Haven.  If I had known that prior, I would have just walked to the bar myself.  It just seemed like too much work.

However if there is something specific you want, they will deliver it.  I have to laugh at the gummy bears. So many rave about these. You could always stop at Walgreens  before the cruise and buy fresh and sealed gummy bears for $2.25

[Lupush]

20 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

You can also be located directly in the Haven and not see your butler.  We don't really use them but did not meet ours until the 3rd day of the cruise once.  Another time we got to actually use the butler and called for drinks. He was too busy so they actually sent someone from the Atrium bar to deliver drinks all the way to the Haven.  If I had known that prior, I would have just walked to the bar myself.  It just seemed like too much work.

However if there is something specific you want, they will deliver it.  I have to laugh at the gummy bears. So many rave about these. You could always stop at Walgreens  before the cruise and buy fresh and sealed gummy bears for $2.25

Haha, the gummy bears.  It's more about them mysteriously disappearing throughout the day as our son tries to sneak them without us noticing.  It's something we get a kick out of watching him do while cruising.  Bear in mind my wife is a dentist and gummy bears are a rarity only had while on vacation.

[david_sobe]

4 minutes ago, Lupush said:

Haha, the gummy bears.  It's more about them mysteriously disappearing throughout the day as our son tries to sneak them without us noticing.  It's something we get a kick out of watching him do while cruising.  Bear in mind my wife is a dentist and gummy bears are a rarity only had while on vacation.

I am not much into candy but my weakness is gummy colas.  Once a year I break down and buy a bag and promise to be disciplined.  But I cant stop myself and eat the entire bag.  Bears are ok but prefer the worms.  But the colas are the best.

[AlexandNessa]

On Breakaway, one butler will cover all the aft Haven rooms. We had a great butler staying aft on Breakaway, and a crummy one in 16116, smack dab in Haven proper. It has everything to do with your butler and nothing to do with your room location. If you find yourself with bad butler service, please pull your concierge aside and have a conversation. He'll take care of it. 

Edited June 26, 2019 by AlexandNessa

[pcakes122]

1 hour ago, Lupush said:

Haha, the gummy bears.  It's more about them mysteriously disappearing throughout the day as our son tries to sneak them without us noticing.  It's something we get a kick out of watching him do while cruising.  

I say this all the time but I am shocked that more people are not grossed out by eating open, unwrapped candy (like M&Ms and gummies) on a ship of a zillion germs LOL  Unless I actually saw them open a fresh bag and fill the bowl I wouldn't go near it.  

 

And of course, adding my usual ***** about what is so special about eating cheap candy on a luxury (Haven) vacation?  I guess having a butler fill the bowl is the big lure but if so folks seriously need to dream bigger dreams 😁

[Lupush]

7 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

I say this all the time but I am shocked that more people are not grossed out by eating open, unwrapped candy (like M&Ms and gummies) on a ship of a zillion germs LOL  Unless I actually saw them open a fresh bag and fill the bowl I wouldn't go near it.  

 

And of course, adding my usual ***** about what is so special about eating cheap candy on a luxury (Haven) vacation?  I guess having a butler fill the bowl is the big lure but if so folks seriously need to dream bigger dreams 😁

For a 5 year old, eating candy on a luxury vacation is a pretty special thing.  

[aero777]

2 hours ago, Lupush said:

We will be sailing on Breakaway this coming Sunday in an Aft Penthouse.  I've read some reviews that have said that Aft Penthouse guests have had difficulty getting assistance from their butlers.  We don't use the butler for much besides requesting ice, and the occasional meal and gummy bears for our Son.  Has anyone been in an Aft Penthouse recently and can share their experience?

 

Thanks!

 

We were in an H6 on the Escape and we had a great butler. We didn’t see him much other than when he delivered breakfast or a dinner from La Cucina we enjoyed on our huge balcony. In the Haven proper we may get to say Hi to our butler a couple times a day, but aft or forward Havens are so spread out you probably won’t get a chance to.

Keep in mind your cabin will have a cordless phone that works anywhere on the ship. Don’t leave the cabin without it! The butler and concierge are on speed dial, so if you need anything they are just a call away. 

As far as any fumes, there were none whatsoever! We did have one chunk of soot show up one morning, but that was it.

Have a fantastic cruise!!

[Granny DI]

We prefer the Haven Aft Suites for some of the reasons others dislike. 

 

We like the hike to the Haven and we never see anyone as we walk to the front of the and take the elevator. I walk several miles a day so need this hike to come close to my normal walks. 

 

The aft suites are much bigger than those in the Haven. They are also very quiet.

We thought a few times about booking a Haven area cabin , but that was just a fleeting moment.

 

Some Butlers are good, some not so good. We tip accordingly. 

 

We love the aft suites! I should add they have all been on the Breakaway....sailing out of NYC or New Orleans.

[aero777]

17 minutes ago, Granny DI said:

We like the hike to the Haven and we never see anyone as we walk to the front of the and take the elevator.

 

It’s always nice to meet the many room stewards along the way. We were in an H8 (forward) Haven on the Joy and were surprised the walk to the forward elevators didn’t seem that much shorter than from the Aft H6 we had stayed in. The room was beautiful and large. The balcony, not so much. 

[bam1957]

We were in the H6 on the Bliss in December. Loved our butler. Ordered Breakfast 3 mornings and did not put the breakfast order on the door the night before. Frankly, we don't eat breakfast every morning. So, we don't know the night before if we even want breakfast. I Explained that to our butler and he said no problem just call in the morning. 

 

Definitely a long walk to the elevators but it helps with reducing the weight gain. 

[Cruising89143]

7 minutes ago, bam1957 said:

We were in the H6 on the Bliss in December. Loved our butler. Ordered Breakfast 3 mornings and did not put the breakfast order on the door the night before. Frankly, we don't eat breakfast every morning. So, we don't know the night before if we even want breakfast. I Explained that to our butler and he said no problem just call in the morning. 

 

Definitely a long walk to the elevators but it helps with reducing the weight gain. 

 

Thanks. We booked one of the H6 on the Bliss for our October cruise. The butler will not be a big issue if we don’t see him/her a lot. We booked this category due to the size of the balcony. Deck nine was huge. Most of the balcony photos that I saw of the proper Haven suites were tiny. 

 

Also saw a post about the exhaust. Have had many aft staterooms in my 33 years of cruising. Only once has it been an issue. 

[NayRN]

I’m sailing soon for the third time in an aft PH on the Away class. The first two times I had great Butler service (or just great Butlers)! I’m hopeful my next sailing will result in the same outcome. With that being said, I had a horrible Butler on the Getaway in a 2BR suite in the courtyard! Only saw him the second day and our afternoon treats were not always delivered (which we were OK with because they send too much).

[pcakes122]

4 hours ago, Lupush said:

For a 5 year old, eating candy on a luxury vacation is a pretty special thing.  

I get that kids love candy, I'm not a kid anymore and I still love candy! 🤗❤️  Mostly with the gummies it's the I-don't-know-whose-hand-has-been-in-this-bowl part that grosses me out. 🤮  Probably PTSD from my Mom throwing out all my unwrapped trick or treat candy on Halloween when I was growing up. LOL 

 

[JGmf]

Stayed in Haven aft on Escape to Bermuda.  Yes, compared to other Haven experiences (forward facing room and penthouse room), butler attention and frequency of visits were fewer in the aft room.  It didn't make or break our cruise, but it was noticeable....meaning, later in the day getting snacks, ice, room set-up, etc.  Plus, you rarely bump into the butler to maybe ask or discuss something.  (I never used that phone that I know is there.  Seems awkward to me). 

 

Anyway, that said, the aft rooms cost more for a reason: space.  (See photo below for the balcony on our way out of NYC).  We loved it.

 

I know it's not for everyone, but for us at least, walking the length of the ship is a good thing....as well as always taking the stairs.  It helps offset all of the calories! 

 

 

[SailBreakaway]

Best suite at sea! 

 

We sailed the aft on BA and GA in the past, and yes both times the Butler service was less impactful than when in the Haven.  It's a tradeoff, you get that beautiful suite and view, but at the cost of an exercise program (this is actually ok by us) and watered down Butler experience.  Now, maybe others experienced different, but ours was less impactful back there. You just have to ask for what you want and don't be shy to call them. Just ask for what you want.