amygutman

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

We were recently on the Norwegian Encore and had the great fortune to dine at the Haven. The Encore has an amazing Haven Restaurant with both inside dining room and outside dining room for al fresco dining.

 

Oh...Food happiness!!!!!

🥰

Warmest Amy

13 hours ago, Daniel A said:

I asked the pre-cruise concierge to have the butler remove the mini bar from our refrigerator at embarkation.   It made more room for other things like milk for morning coffee instead of Coffee Mate, water and beer. 

@Daniel A You just put yourself in the position of reigniting the "horrors of Coffee Mate" threat from a few months back. Dangerous waters indeed.

I'm an oat milk gal myself, but my British friend joining us on our upcoming Encore cruise has specifically requested Cravendale or Dairy Pride milk chilled in the mini-fridge to use with her "proper kettle". Our pre-concierge is good, but she's not "can arrange for Cravendale chilled milk" good. Kate the Brit is horrified at the prospect of using the coffee-maker to heat her water. Wait until she gets a load of Coffee Mate 😇

Warmest Amy

On 9/10/2023 at 4:52 PM, BirdTravels said:

Amy, have a wonderful cruise!

 

If you have the good fortune of being in the Haven, Lyster Diaz is an amazing concierge,,, the best we have had in the longest time. 

@BirdTravels we splurged for the DOS 18100....a reunion for our family with friends from London and Bermuda. They've never been on a cruise before, none of us have been to Alaska and I think we are about to ruin them for life! Will look out for Lyster, and am so glad you had a wonderful time yourself. Have been loving your posts for the longest time, but especially this one!

Safe Travels, Warmest Amy

@MeganSmiles A good tip is to google "Harr Travels AND...." name of the ship and room category. Danny, the "Youtube tour guide" gives very detailed room reviews including a close look at the bathrooms. 

He doesn't do every ship, but certainly a lot of them and I find them not only enjoyable, but very, very informative. He's 6'7" and he spends a LOT of time standing in the showers for "perspective"

Warmest Amy

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

At sea and need a Starbucks fix? Deck 6 mid-ship is the place to go. Use your gift cards and app to get stars. 

@BirdTravels thank you so much for the amazing review. I appreciate all of the details and especially your commentary as it's very straightforward and refreshing. 

I didn't think it was possible, but we are even more excited for our trip in 14 days - you have been a wonderful "pre-guide". 

Safest travels home, and looking forward to the Haven videos...Warmest, Amy

@Roel94 Regarding Africa - what time of the year are the Explora sailings?

We are interested in 2025 so there is nothing published online and having a dickens of a time trying to figure it out from the current itineraries on the website 

Warmest Amy

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The shuttle up the street to town has a line that wraps around and down the clock. 

How far is the walk if you don't mind?

We are pretty heaty folks and would prefer to walk than ride if is under a few miles (and not pouring). And thank you again for taking the time to post all of the info! Looks so gorgeous - 19 days to go!!!!!!

Warmest Amy

On 9/4/2023 at 6:05 PM, BirdTravels said:

The Bird was feeling a little peckish and wandered into the Galley looking for some shrimp (to maintain a lovely shade of pink). 
 

It looks freaking spotless!!! So cool and what a marvel of efficiency. 

3 hours ago, justhappy said:

We walked past all the luggage Yay Port Valet! And out past the taxis and locals offering $20 rides. Rides to where I do not know.

We walked down the sidewalk to the Edgewater Hotel and had an Uber ride in 

2 minutes. 
We were at the airport by 9:15am.

 

DH asked me could we get right back on the ship 😁

He said he’d like to do this cruise again next year! 
We’ll see 🤨

It was a great cruise with good weather and just a few minor service hiccups.

Thanks for following along and your kind comments.

We have a short flight to Denver where we will spend the night, hopefully meet our daughter and her family for dinner then head on home early tomorrow morning. 
Miss Daisy will be waiting for us to spoil her again, miffed I’m sure😂

Thank you for taking us along on a wonderful adventure.

The pictures were wonderful and it was fantastic hearing all your tips and reading your commentary I suppose the best review is the fact that your husband wants to get back on the ship which certainly is a glowing recommendation. Safe travels on the way home enjoy seeing Miss Daisy!

Warmest Amy

Great thread idea!

Very excited about our 13 Night Epic TA from Rome to Port Canaveral November 10-23 2024 Haven H6 2 Bedroom for $10,362. 

With Platinum discounts and perks from our travel agent, this includes trip insurance (!!!!), the standard "free at sea" promotions, $50 per port excursion credit, pre-paid tips and an additional OBC 100$ from the TA. Because of our travel agent loyalty, we also got a choice of a 1K pre-paid Visa card or 1K OBC. 

Works out to be $3454 / passenger (husband, myself, teenager) or $265 / person / night. Even better for us, we only need to pay for a one-way flight as we live in Orlando 45 mins from the debarkation port. 

Currently in the process of cancelling our MSC Euribia Northern Europe cruise Feb 2024 (kiddo has school tests sadly) and searching for 2025 NCL Haven deals. Not a whole heck of a lot out there...in fact they seem way, way higher than even 6 months ago. Considering dipping our toes into Explora as the 2024 itineraries are intriguing but the ships appear more family-friendly than Azamara. Pricing seems similar to the Haven overall.

Warmest Amy

8 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

@RocketMan275 I started pre-covid.  I weighed 300 lbs.  Not good especially since I was 5' 10". My adult son got my wife and I on Keto.  I lost 70 lbs.  Then stayed there for a while.  My wife in an effort to be able to walk a lot on our upcoming ports of call in Europe started to walk every day.  Be both went on Keto again and I walk with her ever other day.  My hips and knees are great.  Hers are getting better with the walking. 

 

I am 5 lbs away from my goal of 199 lbs for the cruise which is 60 days from now.  I did have ice cream yesterday though.  A little cheat. Thank you for asking.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Congrats on taking control of your health. You can't fight genetics, but you can maximize everything else to help ensure a long, happy, healthy life. 

It sounds like from your other postings you have overcome a potentially life-ending event so it's more than 70 pounds you've lost, you've potentially GAINED a much longer lifetime of exploring the world one port at a time. 

Thanks for the inspiration! 

Warmest Amy

1 hour ago, Sand and Seas said:

Only 126?  That's a sadly low percentage of passengers.     

It does sound like more and more are moving to other cruise lines.    

@Sand and Seas Excuse my ignorance...."guests" vs "passengers"? 

Warmest Amy

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

This is an encore performance of The Birds’ trip on NCL’s first North American cruise after the long pandemic shutdown, the Great Cruise Comeback, on August 7, 2021. 

 

The Encore sailing in Endicott Arm On The Great Cruise Comeback 2001. 

OH MY G-D!!!! 

Live reviews from @justhappy AND @BirdTravels? Seeing both of your names makes me smile and being 21 days away from the same ship and itinerary gives me (as the kids say) "all of the feels". 

Thank you both for taking the time to entertain the excited masses...safe travels!

Warmest Amy

11 hours ago, justhappy said:

We decided to bundle up and head out to deck eight on the waterfront with our friends. By 8 am they had the bow of the ship open but it was cloudy and cool and not to many people were out there then.

We headed back to the waterfront and eventually the mountain peaks began to peek through the clouds. 
  Bar service via rolling carts offered hot cocoa and coffee plus optional spirits to warm you up.

The farther into Glacier Bay the more the  fog and clouds began to lift.

Then we began to Ooh and Aww.

we started to see a lot of sea otters swim by. By the time we got to Marjorie and Grand Pacific Glaciers the sky had cleared and it was just beautiful.

At that point we headed back up to the bow but it was so crowded and I’m so short so we headed back to the waterfront. But we grabbed some salmon chowder to take with us. 
This chowder is so rich and so creamy, I love it.

As the kids say "I Cant EVEN"... those photos are stunning. It sounds like you are in heaven!

Warmest Amy

If you want to reassure yourself that you don't (or possibly do) need a visa, you can go to this website which is very user-friendly. 5 questions will let you know definitively if you need to apply. 

https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp

Warmest Amy

17 hours ago, justhappy said:

Once we boarded the tour bus, our first destination was Mendenhall Glacier.

We had a great bus driver/tour guide ~Keegan~
who had us laughing with his witty tales and observations about Juneau.
Please google the story of Alaska Airline’s jet, the Salmon 30 Salmon.

After a short drive to the park we had slightly over an hour to spend before we had to be back to the bus for our Whale Watching portion.

Having been to Mendenhall Glacier in 2015 with my Dad and sisters I knew we didn’t have time to do the visitor center and do the Nugget Falls trail. I made the decision that I thought my husband would enjoy the most and we did the trail.

It was a nice day, meaning not raining, 

and we had a most enjoyable walk to the falls and back. We also had time to visit a scenic spot and check out some salmon in a small pond. Keegan told us a 

great but sad story about Romeo the wolf who is immortalized in the plaque on the trail.

Although it was a short time there we enjoyed every second. 

What a beautiful array of photos. Thank you so much...my heart is so full right now!

Warmest Amy

2 hours ago, efuzz said:

My wife and I are flying to Seattle in 4 days and will board the Encore the next day for our first Alaskan cruise. I cannot tell you how excited we are for this trip. It is also our first NCL and so obviously, our first time in the Haven. @Sthrngary @CDR Benson and many others, your input on this thread has been invaluable to our planning. Thank you all so much. My butler letter and luggage tags are ready, and I am surprising my wife on our flight as I have upgraded to 1st class both ways because I want her to be pampered from the time we get to the Atlanta airport. (And bonus that I get pampered too!) If any of you are on the Encore with us, I would love to share a drink at the Haven bar. I am having an almond croissant as soon as I board and plan to report back when we return with my observation/experiences. 

@efuzz to let you know that @justhappy is doing a lifestream for the Encore in Alaska as we speak. She is not in the Haven, but is giving a wonderful review.

Have a fantastic time and get the ship ready for us… Our family and friends are boarding on September 24th!!!! 
 

Warmest Amy

5 hours ago, justhappy said:

So the Behind the scenes tour was highly impressive, 1000 lbs of bacon a day!

And all those Haven fans of the almond croissants, we learned they are not made on the ship but purchased from an outside source. 
I wonder who?!

Does @Sthrngary know this? Good lord…. That croissant-loving gentle statesman will be buying stock in the bakery company!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Warmest, Amy

7 hours ago, justhappy said:

We met for dinner at Cagneys at 5:30.

We asked if they were seating outside and the hostess said we could have a window table. A few minutes later they seated a couple outside.🤷‍♂️

What the ?

We stopped the restaurant manager and asked what’s up and she was very apologetic and said they try to discourage outdoor dining on the first day as the ship is sailing very fast and it gets very windy and very cold fast.

 She later brought by a bottle of wine for us to take back with us and we told her just let us know if they saw any wildlife 😉  

She came by often to make sure we were happy.

 Other that a filet being ordered medium rare and being delivered rare, all the food was excellent and I don’t think I’ve ever had better grilled asparagus than what I had last night.

Heres some food porn~

WOW! 

That meal looks amazing and it sounds like you are having a lovely time. 

Curious - I know you have sailed both in and out of the Haven...do you feel you are being treated just as well? That special Haven experience is to be treasured, but it would be wonderful to confirm from a very reasonable source such as yourself that yes...you CAN be "justhappy" outside of the suite area. 

Happily following your adventures....Warmest Amy

18 hours ago, justhappy said:

After arriving at the hotel and putting away our luggage we met our friends at the bar and drank so….much…..

 

WATER!

We were so dehydrated after nearly 6 hours on a plane, despite constantly drinking water. I scored my personal best 

aft lavatory visit record on the flight from DFW to SEA.

 I have several new friends that were sitting in the last row😂

 

We recouped and made our way down Alaskan Way towards Ivar’s.

 The sky here is so smoky due to the wildfires that everything was hazy. It’s still hazy this morning. I’m hoping tomorrow we will be able to see Mt Rainer.

 The food was good but the service was horrible so we chalked it up to travel day demons.

Everyone had a salad of one type or another and cups of clam chowder.

I just drank more water while DH had a Rainer beer. Because Walt Lomgmire drinks Rainer beer 😉

The walk back to the hotel was lovely in part due to the smoke giving the sky a reddish hue.

 I can’t I tell you how glorious the lower temps and humidity feel to these southerners!

Beautiful photos....and loving your trip report so much!

Warmest Amy

Oh Happy Haven Day!!!!

Am I the only one who feels that other than the joy of embarkation, the most exciting day is when the magic envelope arrives with the luggage tags? Came home from a horrific overnight shift to find my husband had sorted the mail and left this on my pillow. 

I'M. JUST. SO. HAPPY!!!!!!!

31 Days 23 Hours to go until our next Haven Bucket List Trip. Off to sleep with a smile.🥰

Warmest Amy 

We really like the Harr videos in general, but thought this one of the Viva 2 bedroom suite was particularly interesting. Different design certainly than any other of the fleet's 2 bed/2 bath suites. Hard to make a judgement without actual cruisers weighing in but it seems that:

POSITIVES: If travelling with 2 adult couples, it is a better set-up than the pull-out couch on the non-Prima-Class ships, and the 2nd bathroom is larger. The balcony appears to be much larger with space for multiple loungers and 4 seater table vs 2 chairs / small table on non-Prima-class.

NEGATIVES: Very small living room with short ceilings - OK, Danny Harr is like 6'7" but he almost has to crouch. Actually appears a bit claustrophobic with the drab color scheme. In-room dining would also be a challenge. 

Heck...it's the Haven, and for us we are in the Middle East / Med in May / June 2025 so we can take hopefully full advantage of that balcony and not fuss too much about the living room. 

Cannot wait to see more actual experiences as the ship has more sailings. 

Warmest Amy

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

I guess one of the things in life is you can't (or shouldn't) assume things without prior knowledge. My wife and I save a lot of money by finding discounts on things and also I squirrel away whatever I make as a singer into my travel savings account. We can afford to fly business class some of the time thanks to that, but we always look around on the plane and say to each other "when are they gonna find out we're not supposed to be here?" LOL I know there are people who don't think twice about flying first class all of the time, but we never, ever lord things over on people. It's just classless. We still feel weird on MSC in the Yacht Club when they escort us everywhere.

@DCGuy64

😇This! Warmest Amy

4 hours ago, Wombservice said:

 

 

I did think of this, also (I hate clutter!). Might we just be able to slide all of them under the main bed?

And thanks @BirdTravels for your input!

@BirdTravels not sure about your experience, but we have been able to get 3 suitcases plus three empty backpacks under the main bedroom bed without any difficulty. I suspect you could get at least one more suitcase if you "Jenga'd" it. The two closets would probably fit another 2 suitcases each on the floor. 

I know one cruiser famously bragged about having over 10 suitcases for a 21 day cruise (can't recall the poster's name, darn it...it was months ago on I believe a tipping thread). Cannot imagine where they would store all of those cases. 

We have taken the advice of many before us: pack your bags then take out half. Take advantage of the mid-week laundry deal (or free with some Latitudes levels)!

Warmest Amy