Haven questions please

[39august]

Seeing NCL Joy sailing from MoBay in Aug., I am thinking of booking a suite for the Haven experience. Never sailed NCI since Norway in '99. Did RCI for years and the past 3 years have done only Celebrity. What is the lowest suite category that is allowed for the Haven, please? Is a drinks package included? What about gratuities and WIFI?  Dining?  All Haven information is very appreciated.

[Peachypooh]

If you go to the NCL site you can pick the cruise you want and all the categories of cabins will appear. If you click on the Haven then those cabins will appear. The lowest category will depend on what is available at the time. Depending on the sailing there are different perks included. Most of the time drinks, dining and wifi will be among the perks but you would have to pay gratuities on the free packages. If by included gratuities you mean daily service charge that is only rarely included. Happy sailing.

[FLAHAM]

The Haven service charge is $18.50 per person per day.  For a seven-day cruise for two, that’s $259.  Most also leave a reasonably generous tip for the butler and concierge.  Many (not all) leave a couple of bucks for waitstaff and bartenders after service.  You are also charged a 20% gratuity for the “free” specialty restaurant and alcoholic beverage perks.  None of these are included in the listed basic fare.  

Edited April 8, 2021 by FLAHAM

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, 39august said:

What is the lowest suite category that is allowed for the Haven, please?

 

The least expensive Haven suites on Joy are usually ones that are located outside of the Haven complex. Category HJ (The Haven Suite with Balcony) is usually the lowest price on Joy. They are on deck 14 while the Haven complex entrance is on deck 17. 

 

1 hour ago, 39august said:

Is a drinks package included?

 

As standard? No. NCL does (almost always for years) give a drinks package as a promo. NCL gives the package but the guest pays a gratuity/service charge based on the retail cost of the package. It is 20% of $99 or $19.80 per person per day. You pay it with your cruise fare. Once on the ship, you are not charged a 20% service charge on your drinks no matter how many you have. Drinks up to $15 are covered. If you select a drink that is over $15, you pay the difference plus 20% on that difference. A $20 shot would cost $6 on board ($5 plus 20%). There is an optional package that is an upgrade but it is only worth it if you prefer more premium drinks, bottled water, specialty coffee, etc. (those aren't covered by the standard package). Without a package, you are charged 20% on each drink. 

 

NCL Drink Packages

PBP Terms

 

1 hour ago, 39august said:

What about gratuities and WIFI?

 

Daily Service Charge for Haven is $18.50 pppd. 

 

Wifi is usually offered as a promo for Haven guests (no additional charge). 

 

1 hour ago, 39august said:

Dining?

 

Again, NCL usually offers a Specialty Dining Package as a promo. You are given a certain number of meals in the specialty restaurants of your choice. The number depends on the length of the cruise. Like the drink package, NCL gives the package but the guest is charged a 20% service charge. The package covers 1 entrée and apps, sides, and desserts. Additional entrée would be the menu price plus 20% on that item. Some items have an upcharge that isn't covered by the package. 

 

Dining in the Haven restaurant is included for Haven guests.

 

NCL SDP

SDP FAQ 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Two Wheels Only

[complawyer]

the only drawback to booking a haven suite, is after you experience the butler, concierge, private bar, pool and dining room, you wont be satisfied with anything less. some ncl ships, while not having a "haven" have suites that offer the same amenities as the haven. you eat breakfast/lunch in either cagney's or moderno, but still have a butler and concierge.

 

best thing about the concierge, is at the end of thecruise, he can get you and your party off the ship in about 15 minutes, without waiting for the other passengers.

 

i usually give the butler $100 at the end, the concierge $50 (as i dont really use his services very much,

 

and the cabin steward $20 at the start. $20 in the middle and $ 20 at the end.

 

we always tip the bartender a couple of bucks after every drink, the breakfast and lunch waiters about $5.00 and dinner $10.000 regardless of which restaurant we are in. This includes the mdr's.

[Trimone]

HAVEN TIPPING ALERT !!!!!!!💤💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵💵

[Seany527]

If you read posts on here, people are going to say how important it is to give big tips to your butler, your room steward, the concierge, the assistant concierge, the servers, the bar tenders, the person who unbuckles your seatbelt on the go karts. 
 

I didn’t see or hear from my butler for 2, 3 or 4 days at a time. The concierge can do little for you that you can’t do yourself online ahead of time. (Getting off early on the last day is amazing though.) Tip what you think is right and what you’re comfortable with. 
 

Before my first Haven cruise I went back and forth about what the tips would actually be based on people’s comments. Once on board and I saw the crew each day, it was a very easy decision on what to tip. 
 

CC has a lot of great info but don’t let people fool you with their virtual wallet size. 

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, 39august said:

Seeing NCL Joy sailing from MoBay in Aug., I am thinking of booking a suite for the Haven experience. Never sailed NCI since Norway in '99. Did RCI for years and the past 3 years have done only Celebrity. What is the lowest suite category that is allowed for the Haven, please? Is a drinks package included? What about gratuities and WIFI?  Dining?  All Haven information is very appreciated.

Dining. You have a private dining room for 3 meals a day. Since the menu is the same daily, for us, it is good for daily breakfast, a couple of lunches and a couple of dinner. Otherwise, we are out to dine elsewhere. 
 

Specialty dining is NOT included with the Haven like other cruise lines. You can opt in for the dining perk which is good for a couple of meals on a 7-day cruise. 

[complawyer]

1 hour ago, Seany527 said:

If you read posts on here, people are going to say how important it is to give big tips to your butler, your room steward, the concierge, the assistant concierge, the servers, the bar tenders, the person who unbuckles your seatbelt on the go karts. 
 

I didn’t see or hear from my butler for 2, 3 or 4 days at a time. The concierge can do little for you that you can’t do yourself online ahead of time. (Getting off early on the last day is amazing though.) Tip what you think is right and what you’re comfortable with. 
 

Before my first Haven cruise I went back and forth about what the tips would actually be based on people’s comments. Once on board and I saw the crew each day, it was a very easy decision on what to tip. 
 

CC has a lot of great info but don’t let people fool you with their virtual wallet size. 

the last part about the seat belt was completely unnecessary, and really snarky. we've been in a suite and haven suite our last 6 cruises, and see our butler regularly 3-4 times per day. he/she is always cheerful, and always solicitous to our requests. if you havent seen him for those days you should say something and not let it go. that's why you paid for the haven. it's their job. 

 

the amount i quoted was not a rule of thumb, just what i feel is fair under the circumstances. 

the staff at the haven restaurant breakfast and dinner, always greeted us with a smile. they desrve a little extra.  dining in the specialty restaurants, i consider similar to dining out in an upscale restaurant.. you would tip there wouldnt you? 

 

finally, the waiters in the main dining rooms, but t heir butts serving throughout the evening. i dont mind the extra $10 or so if the service was good,

 

seems to me, if you're paying 1000's of dollars for a haven suite, a little extra cash as tips shouldnt hurt.  I call it the "Vegas" handshake, and wherever we have traveled, stateside, carribbean or europe, most folks "si habla $20"  Besides a little tip goes a long long way to getting what you want.

 

 

 

NUFF SAID!

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, Seany527 said:

Tip what you think is right and what you’re comfortable with.

 

That's the correct answer for tipping threads (Haven or otherwise).

 

1 hour ago, Seany527 said:

Before my first Haven cruise I went back and forth about what the tips would actually be based on people’s comments. 

 

That's a common mistake on the forum. Nobody else knows what services that you will use, the quality and frequency of that service, nor what you are comfortable with spending.

 

Most tipping questions on the forum are actually people looking for affirmation. They already have an amount in their head and are trying to get a feel as to whether or not that amount is "acceptable".

 

 

 

[Laszlo]

6 hours ago, 39august said:

Seeing NCL Joy sailing from MoBay in Aug., I am thinking of booking a suite for the Haven experience. Never sailed NCI since Norway in '99. Did RCI for years and the past 3 years have done only Celebrity. What is the lowest suite category that is allowed for the Haven, please? Is a drinks package included? What about gratuities and WIFI?  Dining?  All Haven information is very appreciated.

To start here is a tour of the Escape......

 

 

 

[Summerstravel]

Some Haven tips your Butler will bring snacks to your room everyday. Let them know what you like. We had cheese and fruit everyday with a pitcher of tea brought to our room. Sometimes cookies or other treats. Also the Haven restaurant will make you special meals on request. Let them know when you arrive that you may have some special request. They were very accommodating. 

We tipped the Butler around 150.00, room steward 75.00, concierge 50.00 to 100.00  and also  tipped staff at the restaruant. We had good service and didn't mind tipping for that reason.

Tracie 

[Sthrngary]

The Joy is an excellent choice as is the Encore or the Bliss.  They are all sister ships. The least expensive Haven Suite depends.  Sometimes it is a Haven Spa Suite.  If so, you are not in the Haven Courtyard.  You are usually on the floor where the Spa is located. Two additional benefits of a Spa suites is a lovely Jacuzzi in the suite and complementary access to the thermal spa.  However, there is no Thermal spa on the Joy. Other times the least expensive is a Penthouse.  Again, it depends on the sailing and the ship.  

 

Why the Joy, Bliss or Encore.  The larger ships have the best Haven's.  They have a retractable roof over the Haven Courtyard for bad weather.  They have three decks for the Haven.  17 - 19.  Deck 19 is the Haven sun deck with two huge hot tubs.  On these larger ships they also have Haven Restaurants and Bar. Worth the price of admission. Small ships like the Pearl have a Haven also however the court yard is much smaller and no Haven Restaurant or bar.  

 

When you book a Haven Suite it usually comes with the Premium Drink Package, 250 min Internet Access, $50.00 off each excursion and two nights of Specialty Restaurant Dinning.  All this is clearly outlined for the sailing you choose.

 

I hope I was helpful.  Cruise well. 

[Yesimapirate]

19 hours ago, Summerstravel said:

Some Haven tips your Butler will bring snacks to your room everyday. Let them know what you like. We had cheese and fruit everyday with a pitcher of tea brought to our room. Sometimes cookies or other treats. Also the Haven restaurant will make you special meals on request. Let them know when you arrive that you may have some special request. They were very accommodating. 

We tipped the Butler around 150.00, room steward 75.00, concierge 50.00 to 100.00  and also  tipped staff at the restaruant. We had good service and didn't mind tipping for that reason.

Tracie 

Total or per day? 

 

We did the Jade 18 months ago and I swear the majority of recommendations were $50 to $100 PER DAY for the Butler and concierge. 

 

No judgment, what you tip is your business.   Just looking for clarification as I have a trip on the Epic in Dec.  Fingers crossed it sails as planned!

[All-ready2cruise]

12 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

Total or per day? 

 

We did the Jade 18 months ago and I swear the majority of recommendations were $50 to $100 PER DAY for the Butler and concierge. 

 

No judgment, what you tip is your business.   Just looking for clarification as I have a trip on the Epic in Dec.  Fingers crossed it sails as planned!

I tip what I am comfortable with, in most cases it's 10pppd for the butler, concierge 5 pppd and steward around 20 per week.  The butler and concierge are not included in the DSC which is why the amounts a bit higher for them.   

I don't use either very much so don't feel I need to offer much more than the "basic".  If you feel this is too high, then change it, some pax don't give anything. 

 

Enjoy your cruise. 

[Sailing12Away]

Haven experiences unfortunately will vary greatly from ship-to-ship, and from person-to-person. Our first experience was on the Jade and it wasn't good at all. Our butler was very unhelpful with anything and our final tip to her was only $50 for a 5 night cruise. We gave the rest of the money we were planning on giving her to the room steward and concierge as they were the ones who ultimately ended up helping us get what we needed when the butler refused. (We weren't asking for things outside the scope of her job, such as getting the correct luggage tags the night before disembarking as we had the wrong color for what we needed, and the wrong color key card at the start of the trip - ours didn't say Haven, it was a regular orange card and didn't work in the elevator to go to the Haven deck.)

 

We found a great deal on an 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise and booked a 2 bedroom Haven room on the Epic to try it one last time. Night and day difference. All of the waitstaff knew us by name, even outside of the Haven (I never realized the crew works all over, we went to the noodle restaurant and we were greeted by name and quickly escorted to a table). Mentioned casually to the butler that I didn't care for the fancy snacks usually provided in the Haven rooms and my pallet is more akin to a child - he didn't judge and brought PB&J and BLT sandwiches for me, and the fancier canapes for hubby. I don't recall the exact amount we gave him as a tip, but it was above what we originally brought with us and had allotted to him. Same with the cabin steward (poor lass had to constantly clean up the sand from our bathing suits, towels and snorkeling gear, we tried to keep it contained in the shower at least to make it easier, but she had that room spotless even after it looked like a sandstorm blew through).

 

Go in with a ballpark figure you're comfortable with, and feel free to rob Peter to pay Paul as you see fit based on what you use each person for, and how helpful they were and how their services enhanced your trip (or not). The ships themselves are all very different in Haven experiences, so now that we're aware of that we have new price points in mind for what we're willing to pay for Haven. Ships with a full fledged Haven (private lounge and bar - which we used multiple times a day on the Epic) we will pay whatever our wallet is holding at the moment for, whereas smaller ships like the Jade which only have the courtyard pool area we'll only book if we find a good deal.

 

For comparison, we had paid ~$1200/day for the Jade in the DOS, and only ~$600/day for the 2 bedroom on the Epic. Jade is not worth that money IMO, and the Epic I would easily spend double that in the future.

[complawyer]

32 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

Total or per day? 

 

We did the Jade 18 months ago and I swear the majority of recommendations were $50 to $100 PER DAY for the Butler and concierge. 

 

No judgment, what you tip is your business.   Just looking for clarification as I have a trip on the Epic in Dec.  Fingers crossed it sails as planned!

i do total, $100 for the butler, $50 for the concierge. as much as i enjoy the haven experience, and the 24 on call butler service, there is no way that our daily requirements could ever justify $100 per day, especially on a 14 day cruise or longer

[Yesimapirate]

9 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Haven experiences unfortunately will vary greatly from ship-to-ship, and from person-to-person. Our first experience was on the Jade and it wasn't good at all. Our butler was very unhelpful with anything and our final tip to her was only $50 for a 5 night cruise. We gave the rest of the money we were planning on giving her to the room steward and concierge as they were the ones who ultimately ended up helping us get what we needed when the butler refused. (We weren't asking for things outside the scope of her job, such as getting the correct luggage tags the night before disembarking as we had the wrong color for what we needed, and the wrong color key card at the start of the trip - ours didn't say Haven, it was a regular orange card and didn't work in the elevator to go to the Haven deck.)

 

We found a great deal on an 11 day Southern Caribbean cruise and booked a 2 bedroom Haven room on the Epic to try it one last time. Night and day difference. All of the waitstaff knew us by name, even outside of the Haven (I never realized the crew works all over, we went to the noodle restaurant and we were greeted by name and quickly escorted to a table). Mentioned casually to the butler that I didn't care for the fancy snacks usually provided in the Haven rooms and my pallet is more akin to a child - he didn't judge and brought PB&J and BLT sandwiches for me, and the fancier canapes for hubby. I don't recall the exact amount we gave him as a tip, but it was above what we originally brought with us and had allotted to him. Same with the cabin steward (poor lass had to constantly clean up the sand from our bathing suits, towels and snorkeling gear, we tried to keep it contained in the shower at least to make it easier, but she had that room spotless even after it looked like a sandstorm blew through).

 

Go in with a ballpark figure you're comfortable with, and feel free to rob Peter to pay Paul as you see fit based on what you use each person for, and how helpful they were and how their services enhanced your trip (or not). The ships themselves are all very different in Haven experiences, so now that we're aware of that we have new price points in mind for what we're willing to pay for Haven. Ships with a full fledged Haven (private lounge and bar - which we used multiple times a day on the Epic) we will pay whatever our wallet is holding at the moment for, whereas smaller ships like the Jade which only have the courtyard pool area we'll only book if we find a good deal.

 

For comparison, we had paid ~$1200/day for the Jade in the DOS, and only ~$600/day for the 2 bedroom on the Epic. Jade is not worth that money IMO, and the Epic I would easily spend double that in the future.

Any chance your butler was Camilla? 

[Sailing12Away]

28 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

Any chance your butler was Camilla? 

Nope, she called herself Mary Jane. I'm guessing Camilla is another one to watch out for?

[Yesimapirate]

2 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Nope, she called herself Mary Jane. I'm guessing Camilla is another one to watch out for?

Our Camilla experience on the Jade:

 

Wife and I booked aft Penthouse.   Not Haven but has many of the perks.   We were relatively new to cruising so I researched pretty carefully the appropriate and inappropriate requests.   Having traveled 45+ weeks a year for work for 20 years, We're pretty self sufficient and know exactly what we like in a room.  

 

My simple (in my opinion) requests:  for the afternoon snack, please either bring sugar free options if they're sweets or do not bring sweets as my wife is diabetic. Secondly,  can we have a pitcher of ice water each night. 

 

I was told that if I wanted anything sugar free, I should have brought it myself.  And there's a sink in the bathroom if I need water at night.   This was after her not showing up the 2 times the concierge said she'd meet us to introduce herself. 

 

I really wasn't happy with that and I'm not one to keep my mouth shut.  My experience traveling has taught me you can be pissed off and vent on the internet, which accomplishes nothing,  or try to resolve the situation on site.  We ended up in the hotel directors office like 2 kids who had been sent to the principal's office.   They treated us like the stereotypical "Karen" who was trying to get something for free and kept asking us what I wanted.   Mr. Hotel Cruise Guy, we litterally want nothing more than no sugar desserts, water and a friendly butler.   I don't want ANYTHING else.  So embarrassing and frustrating. 

 

Thankfully,  they switched us to another Butler who was wonderful and the rest of the trip was great.

 

Not to get off topic but it really bothers me when I or any guest has a legitimate complaint that's easily resolved, almost always at no cost, and they immediately treat you like you're trying to stiff them or get something for free.  It's horrendous customer service and only encourages the people who do want free crap.

[Summerstravel]

1 hour ago, Yesimapirate said:

Total or per day? 

 

We did the Jade 18 months ago and I swear the majority of recommendations were $50 to $100 PER DAY for the Butler and concierge. 

 

No judgment, what you tip is your business.   Just looking for clarification as I have a trip on the Epic in Dec.  Fingers crossed it sails as planned!

The tip was by the week ( at the end of the cruise) and they all seemed really happy with their tip. Another suggestion if you don't drink from the mini bar you can ask them to clear it all out so you can have room for leftovers and such. We didn't use the mini bar so this helped us out. 

[Sailing12Away]

27 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

Not to get off topic but it really bothers me when I or any guest has a legitimate complaint that's easily resolved, almost always at no cost, and they immediately treat you like you're trying to stiff them or get something for free.  It's horrendous customer service and only encourages the people who do want free crap.

I don't think your requests were out of line at all. I ended up writing a lengthy letter to guest relations when I got home, which got us I think $500 OBC for our next cruise. Since we spent over 5K and certainly did not get the 'real' Haven experience, it wasn't much. 

 

But you're right, always better to speak up in a respectful manner if you want things actually fixed. If you just want to complain, then come here and there will be 50 people who agree with you and 50 people who defend the cruise company.

 

I'm waiting for prices to start going back to normal before I can see if our next Haven experience is more like the bad one on the Jade or the good one on the Epic.

[graphicguy]

I just booked a Haven HJ category (Haven Cabin, deck 14) for 2 for ~$4,300 on the Joy sailing end of August.  I took the 10% discount offers on the FCCs from cancelled cruise(s).  So, fare is ~$3,900, which is the least expensive Haven experience I’ve ever paid, and I’ve sailed the Haven on the -Away ships quite a bit.

 

I have no issues with my Haven cabin being on a different deck from the Haven.  One deck up from my suite and I'm smack dab in the Haven Observation area (which I'm REALLY looking forward to)...maybe 2 minutes away.

 

Tips are a whole other topic.  Tip who and what you want.  I use my concierge a lot.  S/He does ALL of my entertainment, excursion and dining bookings.  S/He also takes care of any billing snafus, internet snafus, or any last minute changes I have.  S/He also takes care of me getting on or off the ship with no hassles.  I tip accordingly.

 

Side note, regardless of how much, or how little, i tipped, it was always very much appreciated by the crew who received it.

 

I don't dine en suite and ask very little of my Butler.  So, aside from brining daily snacks, there's little for them to do for me.  I don't tip them the same as a result.

 

All of my concierges and butlers have been exemplary.  There was never a request they didn't honor promptly and efficiently. There were times they seemed to be able to do magic getting me into a restaurant or a show that had been sold out for days.  Those are career folks that have usually been with NCL for a while.

 

I don't know how many stuck around during the shutdown, but my hope is at least some of them will be around for the relaunch.  The good news, the best and brightest are usually assigned to the newest ships (Joy, Bliss, Escape, Encore).

 

Same goes for the waitstaff in the Haven Restaurant and the Haven Bar.  They are the best of the crop within NCL.  I do kick them a little extra if they've been exceptionally good (which they usually are).

 

The drink package has a service charge associated with it.  But, if you have a couple of beers and maybe a glass of wine with dinner and an after dinner cocktail, it more than pays for itself.  I found no reason to upgrade to the upper level drink package.  The "regular" drink package is fairly comprehensive.  And, I had no issue finding something I liked on it.

 

Service charges for the specialty dining packages are, in my humble opinion, a bargain.

 

Once you sail the Haven, it's tough to sail any other way.

 

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by graphicguy

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 4/8/2021 at 5:09 PM, Seany527 said:

I didn’t see or hear from my butler for 2, 3 or 4 days at a time.

Same. Our NCL butler was a total bust. He didn't introduce himself until the second day because he was "busy." We'd make specific afternoon canapé requests (no sweets b/c of my diabetic father in law), and we'd still end up with plates of cookies. We also called and asked for sandwiches once, and he said it would be at least an hour. We ended up going to the bar instead, and saw him wheeling another passenger to the MDR, while her husband walked alongside. There was a very awkward eye contact moment before he realized he kinda sorta recognized us. Now we know that we should have addressed all of this with the concierge (his boss), but had no idea at the time.

Butler aside, one important note re included options: if you're used to Celebrity internet, be prepared for NCL wifi. NCL wifi is AWFUL in comparison to Celebrity. Seriously... Celebrity/Royal internet is like a fiber optic feed into your house, and NCL internet is like a dialup modem from the 90s.

Also, NCL makes you upgrade your beverage package (for $29 a night) if you want bottled water. 

Edited April 11, 2021 by AstoriaPreppy

[All-ready2cruise]

6 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I just booked a Haven HJ category (Haven Cabin, deck 14) for 2 for ~$4,300 on the Joy sailing end of August.  I took the 10% discount offers on the FCCs from cancelled cruise(s).  So, fare is ~$3,900, which is the least expensive Haven experience I’ve ever paid, and I’ve sailed the Haven on the -Away ships quite a bit.

I looked at that same Haven suite on the Joy.  Very tempting and may still book it in the near future.  For now, I'm booked in a BB.