amygutman

Thank you to the OP as well as everyone for their insights. This is really interesting and it goes to show you how everyone's experiences are personal and different. We loved the Haven on every ship we've been in and we've loved the YC we've been in. Some we've loved more some we've loved less but still we've loved over non-suite rooms. We've done celebrity suites but not a retreat class and just booked our first star class with royal genie on the allure for next year. It's very cool seeing the comparisons but I think it just comes down to personal taste for each of the trips, each of the families, and each of the ships. Honestly, any day at sea, especially on a suite, especially in a ship within a ship, is better than most any day not on a ship! Warmest, Amy

We have used the pre-concierge for our last 5 Havens and have had outstanding service. According to others, their experiences and if their expectations / promises were met have been mixed (either really great, partially fulfilled or non-existent). Excursions are directed to a special Haven / Suite excursion contact number as well (which helps nab those hard-to-get bookings). Our overall responses are usually within 24-48 hours M-F, and often followed / preceded by a phone call. We've been successful in requesting: mini-fridge items, excursions, show / dining reservations, special occasion "occasions" (once a full caviar tasting for DH's birthday with private chef), private tours, and room snack preferences. I would say we have been 95% on requests being passed on to the on-ship Butler / Concierge. I'm sorry to report the infamous "pillow menu" has never been fulfilled (nor has it ever affected our vacation). In regards to the wonderful Butler Letter...we have modified it for every trip from @Sthrngary's awesome template and found it most helpful. The Pre-Concierge email is: NorwegianConciergeDesk@ncl.com. Have a wonderful trip! Warmest, Amy Gutman-Enright Butler Letter_General.docx

This...100%. Reading this thread scared me enough to go back and check my upcoming cruises reservation / excursion information (on NCL, RCCL and MSC). I'm one of those crazy people who actually does read the entire cruise contract as they change often but wanted to ensure I was doing the right thing. It is truly interesting that we have not heard about this issue previously. Everyone on Cruise Critic will jump on the bandwagon re: cancellation of excursions, ports, cruises, benefits...so doesn't it seem unusual that this is the first we've heard about such a huge cancellation for a fairly insignificant issue? Warmest, Amy

Thanks for the recommendation on the documentary - It was outstanding. There was a show about 10 years ago that was called “Mighty Cruise Ships” which focused more on the ports and not the ships so this documentary focusing on the ship’s inner workings was really interesting. Having not met Gene Young but hearing about his passing and then watching him apparently so happy on the documentary was quite sad. Hoping there was a part of him that knew that he made so many people happy and positively touched many peoples lives. As travelers who love the YC and the Haven, we still keep in touch with many of our favorite crewmembers that we’ve met in these areas over the years. We will be on the Seaside YC at the very end of July and look forward to hearing about your adventures in this wonderful area we enjoyed it now on the Meraviglia and the Seashore. Warmest, Amy

Helpful tip: Bring masks. Some stores the the Bahamas and Caribbean still will not let you shop / eat there without a mask. Just finished working a medical locums job in that area and found this not uncommon. It’s not meant to be offensive to tourists, rather protective of the shop employees so please don’t take it that way. Trust me, they do want your business but balancing it with what they believe is a safety measure. Warmest, Amy

The balcony should easily fit a lounger, and it never hurts to ask. Especially if it’s some thing that is important to you and will make the cruise better. What we found on our last yacht club experience was that you’d have to ask twice for a few things initially, but once we got into a rhythm with our butler, it was definitely smooth sailing. I love a good balcony, and I think your cruise critic name is awesome. warmest, Amy

Pays to pay attention to the website.... Was online looking at GSC excursions when I noticed there was an available 2 bedroom Haven for our upcoming cruise for about 200$ more than the Haven penthouse we booked. We had really wanted a 2 bedroom as our almost 14 yo (this is his birthday cruise) likes to have his own space but the price at the time we originally booked was >3,500$ more. Called our amazing TA, and as soon as I confirmed he switched us to the available 2 bedroom Haven I cancelled our upgrade bid (1000$). The only downside was missing out on the villa reservation we wanted which cancelled when we changed the room booking. Such is life. We love the villa, but kiddo loves having his won space more. TLDR: looked at website, saw a bigger room available for similar cost, called the TA and now have a happy teenager! Warmest, Gutman

We have 6 cruises coming up in 2023-2024. I set up my laptop so I can see the countdown to the next cruise …. When one comes up, it falls off the home screen. Makes me happy every day. I look forward to cruising so much that we literally got home from a cruise this Sunday, unpacked, and I was on YouTube within an hour eyeballing cool things for our end of April Getaway cruise. Not only are not alone, I would suspect there are many more like you than not. It’s a lovely little addictive habit. Warmest, Amy

Merci!!! It's great when you hear about other fantastic experiences. I think there are 6-7 sea days between the Azores and Port Canaveral at the end of the TA so am looking forward to exploring what looks to be a very cool ship. Warmest, Amy

We booed the Epic for November for a TA - the Haven was literally 1/2 price over other Havens for the same-ish TA itinerary. Even though we know the pool is uncovered (hence, the cheaper fare), and the ship gets not-so-glowing reviews, I think if you go into the trip knowing these things, then it's not worth complaining. As the mother of an eye-rolling 13 yo boy, I feel your pain, and you are giving DH and I a good laugh at your initial postings. Can't wait to follow along. Warmest, Amy

Getting on the Getaway in about a month - thanks for keeping my cruise smile alive! It's our first time on the Getaway, but having literally just gotten home from MSC Yacht Club Meraviglia, we spent a lot of time comparing it to the NCL Haven "product" (we've had 2 YCs on 2 ships, and >10 Havens / suites on many different NCL ships big and small). It's definitely a personal choice, but Haven > YC any day - we just happened to get 2 great deals on 2 short MSC cruises only a 45 minute drive from our condo outside Orlando that we could not resist. Hey...any day on a cruise, right? MSC was pretty darned good (we wrote a thread on the MSC Boards under "Meraviglia Duplex Suite but not sure how to link to it) - even 4/5 stars but we love the Haven. A poster on this thread asked here "why choose the same ship multiple times"? Well - if it has a Haven we are there. Even without a Haven (like our Dawn DOS trip), the NCL suite product is familiar and I really like that. Some may say boring, but predictability is comforting. We have loved every NCL we've been on - some 4/5 stars...some 10/5 stars (I'm looking at you NCL Gem and Pearl...our favorites). Itineraries are exciting but we always keep in mind that they can change. It's the ship, ship amenities and most importantly the crew that makes all of the difference. Our next few trips are chosen for specific purposes to give you an idea of our thought process: Getaway: Time-Frame + Haven availability. Excited because it's a quick drive on a new ship that will feel familiar because of the Haven. Don't care if we don't get off the ship except for GSC where we booked the Silver Villa (crossing fingers for good weather) Encore: Itinerary + ship + room. Splurged on the DOS because Alaska is a bucket list trip and we are hosting 2 friends who have never been on a ship. We want their first cruise experience to be on a ship big enough to have all of the bells and whistles, but in a room to maximize Alaska and all of those wonders Epic: Itinerary (TA bucket-list). Ship is actually a negative in this case as we are not excited about the open Haven deck in the Atlantic, but it's a Haven 12 night at a ridiculously low repositioning price. So - apologies for hijacking, but thanks for posting about the Getaway, and hopefully answered our thoughts on why people choose particular ships. Warmest, Amy

Lovely, lovely video! GSC Silver Villa is our splurge for our vacation (well..aside from the Haven itself, of course). Was last there in Nov 2019 right before the pandemic shut everything down. Cannot wait to go back and thank you for the quick glimpse into what I am hoping will be an awesome day (crossing my fingers for good tendering weather). Warmest, Amy

Oh Dear G-d...my apologies for so many photos of the "sack-catcher" hot tub. Unsure of what happened there...

May I suggest a ermudian Dark N' Stormy? It's a completely different drink but it's heaven on earth.

Just got home after a 4 / 5 star experience on the Meraviglia. Final thoughts and helpful hints: The Duplex Suite was great in concept, but ultimately not something we would book again. We booked it to have 3 persons in a room / two bathrooms. The deluxe suites on Meraviglia have 2 maximum occupancy vs Seashore class deluxe suite that can hold 3. This is due to the ship size / YC capacity even though both have a similar layout (large bed + pull-out couch). It was either the very expensive Royal Suite or the Duplex for our family of 2 adults + 13 yo as we did a late booking. BTW, the NCL Haven 2 bedroom suite is hands-down a winner for layout over YC Duplex. Duplex Suite Layout Stairs - ok...I know why the carpet is so brightly (hideously) orange. Those stairs are treacherous and need to be clearly visualized. Narrow in width but we felt we needed to clamp-in to ascend / descend due to the stair rise angle. I was perpetually terrified I would trip and fall. A few more drinks, or a few more years on my knees would have made it impossible. Speaking of bathrooms - we forgot to bring our bathmat, and the upstairs tub which initially seemed like a wonderful feature, was slippery as glass plus had a sharp-edged hand-rail. We all ended up using the downstairs bathroom to shower (my 300 lb / 5'11' husband barely fit inside the round enclosure) and honestly, primarily for everything else as those stairs were scary. Below are the comparisons: Views: The view from the balcony / upstairs bedroom - extraordinary. The lighthouse was literally right outside the window - photos below. As much as I love the breeze from an open balcony, even at full speed, we never felt more than a stiff breeze. Plus - it poured our last day at sea and we could still be in the hot-tub as it was completely covered. Our smoking neighbors were asked twice by the butler to stop smoking, and they never complied which often meant our cabin smelled like cigarettes. Security was supposed to come, and may have as Day 3 of the cruise was smoke-free. Hot-tub: we felt like entitled idiots once we figured out how to fill / drain the tub itself without the butler. Yes, the rust was icky, but it was "clean" rust (if that makes sense). It was drained / scrubbed daily so my initial trepidation was mislaid and I apologized to our butler Heather for asking if it was cleaned prior to our sailing. Yes - the boards were loose and we were told they would be trying to fix the issue again on our cruise but it never happened. Look at the photo below: we called it the "sack-catcher" for a reason (apologies for being upside-down - can't get it to rotate).😁 Location: 12th floor was not ideal. You have to go down a hallway on 12th floor to the front-of-ship elevator bank to get up to the YC. And no...the Priority elevators never worked for us (or other YC guests we asked). It was a PIA when dripping wet to get back to our room - the stairs in the YC by the pool / Top Sail / Restaurant only go to 16, so you have to leave the YC, walk down a hallway to get to the front-of-ship stairs or elevator. Not a deal-breaker, but important to know. Service: Ah.May.Zing. Honestly - some of the best we have ever had at sea. Craig, the YC Director, Heather (Butler), Joe (room attendant) and all of the YC staff - from MeiAnn at the restaurant and her amazing waiters, to everyone at the YC pool deck / bar - could not have been more pleasant and helpful. The concierge desk was always quick on the spot to help, and except for one hiccup in communications, were perfect. Food: every meal in the YC was outstanding overall - the only miss was the nordic salad (boring on the menu, boring in taste - but definitely truth in the description). Even the room service was hot, correct and tasty. Our butler Heather brought kiddo cookies every night and the mini-bar was perpetually filled (even extra mixed nuts). Snacks in the Top Sail were strange to the point of being funny. Honestly - does anyone really eat those pearled onions? Do not miss Hola - and here is a tip: you must book lunch reservations! Thanks for fellow CC members who gave the heads up on this one. You can't just walk into Hola or Kaito Sushi like on other ships - due to the restaurants small size, you must book on the Mera. Ocean Cay: Beautiful island, but we just used the days to get our steps in and enjoy the YC on the ship. We are spoiled by the Silver Villas on NCL's Great Stirrup Cay, and find that OC just doesn't compare. It has really pretty beaches and lovely food venues (though the YC restaurant does NOT have enough seating for all YC members should everyone want lunch at the same time, beware) but after living in Bermuda for years, we are super spoiled by those beaches. Once you have pink sand between your toes, it's hard to go back. Internet /App: App worked great. Loved it, and it did everything as advertised. You can book dining / shows, spa on it and very user-friendly. Do not need wifi to use. It's a good thing, as the wifi was slow as molasses. Not worth paying to upgrade to browse AND stream, when you often could do neither. Entertainment: Lorraine Crosby was a solo singing act - trust me, you have heard her sing a million times in the 80's / 90's (Google her and be surprised), and the hypnotist was an incredibly awesome surprise. I don't know why the Carousel Rock Show is always panned - we thought it was super entertaining (and those acrobats and crazily bendable). Casino was small, but adequate. Walked away on the "positive" side, so that was a win in my book. Spa - the pedi-mani I pre-booked was wonderful, but the spa was so crowded on most days that we never used it other than the heated loungers on one afternoon. I will say the staff was vigilant about cleanliness. Final thoughts? 133 days or so to our next MSC YC Deluxe Suite on the Seaside which will be a 5 day, 4 night, and 33 days until our NCL Haven Penthouse Suite on the Getaway. Ultimately, we love the Haven > the YC, and as the price-points are getting closer we will always go NCL. Our MSCs were great deals found by our TA for a time-frame / port that fit our son's spring break schedule, and a fun 4/5 experience. I will do my best to answer any more questions that come my way! Warmest, Gutman

Yep... 1st 2 in the cabin. Plus, the Concierge politely explained that as my husband and I had already used our computers as our internet "home-spots", we could not use our phone as well as our computers on the same internet code. Our 13 yo made the ultimate sacrifice in going without internet for 3.5 days. I'm sure everyone will be glad to know he survived. I, however, was frustrated by the slow wifi (hence, packing all of my responses into today having just gotten home).

Funny you should ask - either someone was reading your post or someone was reading your mind, but I ordered my favorite Dark N' Stormy from the bar (which was deliciously prepared) next to a lovely woman from North Carolina ordering a Botanist with Sapphire Bombay - she said it was "sublime".

Agree wholeheartedly. And, sadly - no Aviation Gin to be found on board. I am not sure what a similar gin would be (vodka and rum are my drinks of choice...my inner Bermudian speaking), but they do have >6 choices. My apologies for not screenshotting a list for you. Warmest, Amy

Aviation Gin (Ryan Reynolds' brand, right?) - I will check today to see if they stock. It was not on the "can we stock your fridge list" emailed the week prior to the cruise. Headed to Hola for lunch (which, btw, you MUST make reservations for both lunch and dinner) then the YC pool and will ask at both places to try and get you an answer. Re: priority elevators. That was actually our plan for the wheelchairs / scooters to at least get those kids in wheelchairs (and parents with trams) moving. Tried priority access on floor 6 (Broadway Theater "A" Assembly area), and waited 15 minutes but the 2 priority lifts - never stopped on our floor, bypassing us completely. Super frustrating. The crew-member stationed next to the elevator that the priority access is "hit or miss". It's been rather a "miss". Despite the rowdy crowd, the crew on the entire ship is super professional - always smiling. Went for a sunrise walk today - stopped for coffee and heard the buffet staff say more than once "please use the tongs sir / ma'am". People were actually picking up pastries / bread from the baskets with their hands. Ick. The buffet staff then removed the entire basket of bread. Such a waste. The bars today on the island were surprisingly not packed on our morning walk today at 1000 but the partying had definitely started. YC lounge snacks today were excellent - tons of pastries and not an olive or onion in sight. My middle-aged bod sadly misses the prunes though. 😁

Really? We asked the concierge and he said because we upgraded (husband and I) to the "stream" plan, that that was the only plan we could use. Hmmm....back to the concierge we go. Thank you so much.

Update and Happy St Patrick's Day! Hot Tub Update: Many apologies from the concierge desk later, the truly lovely Butler Heather presented herself. She had apparently been run ragged today. We understand from the maitre'd that there are over 5000 persons on deck and the YC is 100% capacity due to ALL rooms filled with maximum passengers. Hot tub scrubbed filled and was HOT (40 degrees). The answer about the ugly spots? Rust - not dirt. As for the outside planks hanging off the hot tub - you can see where it has been screwed and glued many times unsuccessfully. Same thing on NCL Pearl, so I suspect it's a hot tub issue, not an MSC issue. Fridge Requests: We had asked for diet coke and fanta (son's latest obsession). Both were stocked as well as Toblerone. Heather clarified which vodka we preferred and it was brought promptly. We ordered room service pizza for kiddo for movie night (highly recommend Ghostbusters Afterlife, btw) which as as awesome as described on these boards. Quirky - if you order "cheese pizza" you get...cheese pizza without sauce. Kiddo and hubby destroyed it. Heather delivered it with a smile. She also immediately dealt with a situation next door with our neighbors smoking on their balcony as when the outer doors were open our cabin immediately filled with cigarette smoke. Cabin Temperature: cabin is definitely cool / air conditioned. Now, if you choose to leave the two glass door to the balcony opened (which we did to enjoy the sea air), it gets humid very quickly. But my husband was very happy with the cold temps otherwise. There are separate controls for upper and lower floors, but I suspect there is little difference. Crowd: HOLY CRAP. This 4 day, 3 night cruise is definitely a crazy booze cruise. There is a sea of humanity everywhere. I truly think that being anywhere but the YC would put a huge damper on any hope of relaxation. Lines, pushy drunks (yes...even by the assembly drill) and loud aggressive shoving. There where folks in wheelchairs and scooters who literally could not get in elevators due to hordes of 20 and 30-somethings. I felt bad for the assembly station staff personnel who were really given a lot of verbal abuse. I'll take quirks and minor inconveniences but not letting the differently-abled access into elevators is not acceptable. View: Literally staring at the lighthouse - Could not be prettier. Will try and figure out how to get photos from my non-internet plan phone to my computer. Yes...another quirk is that you cannot move your internet back and forth from different devices as you can on RCCL and NCL. Hey - it keeps my 13 yo off the net for 3 nights. Score!!! Warmest, Amy

Was on another forum and a number of folks asked about the duplex suite experience on the Meraviglia. Embarkation was a breeze. Terminal 10 Port Canaveral, went to the white tent, was escorted right in to a special security line, and we were in the lounge literally under eight minutes. It took another few minutes to register, and then escorted right on the ship. Outstanding. Yes, the weird caramelized onions and olives were there but today they were joined by prunes and aranacia risotto balls - admittedly, a very odd combination of foods. Drinks were strong and liberal, so we went with the flow. Met a lovely couple who were on the four days before us, and warned us about a largish and loudish group of folks in the yacht club. Rather took away from their whole “zen” experience. To my wonderful surprise one of our maitre’ds from the Seashore is here - ran up to us and gave us a big hug. I almost didn’t recognize her without the mask that she had to wear the last time and it was really lovely to see her again. Lunch was also lovely, but rather wish he had eaten on the pool deck which had a bigger selection of food for Kiddo. The service, however, was great. Now the room. It is definitely one of those you can’t get there from here situations. We are on Deck 12 at the very front of the ship. You can only use the yacht club forward elevator as the stairs will not take you all the way up or down. Makes it really inconvenient getting upstairs to the pool with a small child but hey…we’re on vacation. The room is… interesting. Yes, the orange is as strikingly bold as you see online in the YouTube videos. Bit of an odd choice. Room is definitely not handicap accessible. At first glance, the balcony is really lovely and then you look closer and realize it’s not quite up to YC standard expectations. I put some pictures in really couldn’t see either rust or sediment in the empty pool as well as the front panel, which immediately fell off when I stepped on the step to get into the hot tub. We have been waiting over three hours for someone to come either clean it or fill it - crossing fingers. It will be ready after muster, because it would be great to watch the sunset and Sail away from the deck. I attached a lot of pictures and going to the plug my phone in before we lose Internet. Oh… just a poke at one of the other posters, we may not have water in our hot tub, but all of our towels absolutely have the yacht club emblem on them. ♥️ Warmest, Amy

Depending on how the Wi-Fi situation is, yes. Otherwise I will certainly do when I get home. A few people have had questions about the duplex yacht club suite that I hope to answer (both for myself and for them). Not to step on the OP’s toes but if there’s anything specific I can answer for you, I’d be happy to try. Warmest, Amy

We love the Haven and found the Yacht Club on MSC to be a similar product. Used to be heaps cheaper, but now rather similar in price. There are many pros and cons of both, and very ship-dependent. Right now, we only have a 50 minute drive from Orlando to the cruise port so spreading the wealth between any cruise line with that “ship within a ship” concept. Trying Star Class on RCCL April 2024 as well as many options out of PC. Our TA keeps his eyes out for bargains and gives us a heads up - definitely worth it!!! Have a wonderful trip and can’t wait to hear about the experience. Warmest, Amy

YIPPEE!!!! Headed onto the MSC Meraviglia in 8 hours, then we are on the countdown to the April 26th Getaway for our son's birthday long weekend "Getaway". Trip reports are just so amazing - keeps everyone excited and informed. Thank you for taking the time our of your vacation to enhance ours...Warmest, Amy