Beamco

I am getting ready to leave (2 weeks from today) on a 15 day Joy cruise through the Panama Canal. I feel I got a great price on a Haven Cabin , yet I still consider this trip to be a "final splurge" before I go on a fixed income! I added the Free at Sea Plus - so I have the upgraded drink package and 5 speciality dinners. I will admit being nervous that the alcohols I would like to try may not be available and that the quality and or quantity of food may be diminished. However, I'm going into this eyes wide open and I don't understand the complaints here! Especially from anyone living in the United States -what hasn't become more expensive, what service hasn't become diminished if not more expensive or worse diminished and more expensive here in the US?

I have retired to a Major US Island that is considered to be one of the top vacation spots in the US and everything costs more. I will limit my comments to entertainment and food- every restaurant costs more- every excursion costs more, most of the restaurants are charging a 3% add on fee to use a credit card, food and service are inconsistent, some restaurants changed the quality of items being served down to now very obviously serving more processed and institutional type food so much so that I no longer eat there. Fast food restaurants are closing because no one will work. Grocery store shelfs are empty, people started eating eggs as their protein more often so for 3 days there were no eggs on the shelf!

Understanding all of this I have zero expectations that my cruise experience will be anything like my last cruise pre-covid. I will go on it excited as always - eyes wide open- and I will enjoy it immensely!  I will go and hope to get more than one appetizer at Speciality Restaurants, I will ask for multiple lobster tails at dinner in the Haven, I will expect bagels, cream cheese and fresh lox on the Haven breakfast buffet, I will hope to drink top shelf Bourbon all week just to name a few wish list items I have - but if any of my wish list items are not available I will indulge the best that I can! If too many are not I will reevaluate if my next vacation will be a cruise. If any one would want to hear it I will report back on my experience after my return on Feb. 6th and let you know what changes had a good or bad effect on my experience - but one thing I won't do is complain about NCL or any other company trying to deal with changes placed on this world that they had nothing to do with. 

I would say Cruise Well everybody but I will change it to Vacation Well Everybody! 

On 10/27/2022 at 4:53 PM, IronRobi said:

 

This is the perfect example of the point I was making.

 

If you have a 14yr old kid who is sitting with their parents reading a book with headphones in not making a single sound..... who are they bothering? Nobody! Except for this person who will place a complaint about it and lessen somebody else's family vacation simply out of principle. This kid is doing nothing to affect your vacation, but you are certainly making a mark on theirs. Well done, you should be proud!

 

To be clear, I'm talking about well behaved older children here. Primarily teens. I'm not talking somebody's toddler or a kid blasting their music on their phone and causing a disturbance.

So I just saw this since IronRobi is so offended by me being willing to as I stated leave the Haven Lounge - Pool Area - Indoor Hot Tubs - Observation Lounge - even the Haven Bar, etc.  if kids are around and I want or need some adult time away from even well behaved kids by simply retreating to the "minuscule" by comparison to the Haven Public areas that has been designated 16+ that they had to insult me. I am headed on a cruise in January for 15 days all designed to be at a time when there is less chance to have kids on the cruise. FYI I love kids but when I vacation I also like my adult time. However, if  I see someone bringing their under 16 child out there I will "proudly" be that guy and immediately go to the concierge and report them by stating IronRobi from Cruise Critic sent me to ruin some kids vacation because their entitled parents feel they are entitled to every inch of the ship/Haven because their progeny is so special everyone must of course see it and agree. IronRobi and those they are defending after all are the first people to ever push a kid out in the woods so clearly you see just how special their offspring are how dare you expect some space to be away from my wonders..... I loath being a keyboard warrior but the entitlement dripping from your responses would not allow me to back away from a response. 

I am booked on the Joy in late January 23 - Miami to LA - 15 night Canal Cruise - All in $9500 for 3 people at 15 nights that comes to $211.11 per person for 3 people. For 2 it would still be under $300 per day per person both ways for me a phenomenal price for my preferred way to Vacation - Haven Cruises! We are bringing my adult Daughter along for this trip so we are in a Forward Facing Haven Suite - also my preferred cabin. I am looking forward to cruising again - with decent rates if you shop and hopefully a return to normalcy! FYI same timing of a Canal Cruise on the Bliss was double the price - price aside I have been on the Bliss before I am looking forward to Joy then Encore then the new class.

2 hours ago, IronRobi said:

This is exactly what I was going to say as well. If your son is as respectful and quiet as you say, the staff won't have any issues with it and the other haven guests shouldn't either. I say shouldn't because you will always run into the people who follow every rule to the letter and will take every opportunity to complain and point out when somebody doesn't. So if this happens, staff will be forced to enforce it, just try not to put up a giant fuss about it since it is against the rules.

Why shouldn't other guests have a problem with it. I am perfectly fine with leaving the Haven Lounge, Pool, Observation Deck etc. to avoid children behaved or otherwise. Just don't chase me away from the one area of the Haven that is designated no children. Additionally, the parents with the disrespectful children show up and get to say - it's Ok because other children are here - and we go down the slippery slope from there. Rules are rules and they are not meant to be broken. The rule is there for a purpose. Also it's not about the staff breaking up the  monotony of their job its about the comfort of your fellow guests that are following the rules. The no kids under 16 on the Haven sundeck is a hard rule not a soft one. Oh and I can say it this way you always run into the people who take every opportunity to take the edge for their own benefit over others and god forbid others complain about their self centered behavior. If people follow the rules the staff won't be forced to do anything. 

Does anyone now if tours, excursions, shops etc. are running in early September?

Seashark you want to argue this is why I don't post often - 48 posts since 2016 - I don't care to debate - you are right as I am sure you always think you are - you win - I am signing off from this thread now. 

Seashark while money in the end won out - the focus of Sthrngary's comments was on the cost differences of an Encore Cruise and a Joy Cruise. Sthrngary commented on an Alaskan Encore cruise but the same $'s are in play in November in the Caribbean. So my comments focused on Money - however my decision included much research about Celebrity and their Retreat product, just as when I sailed NCL for the first time in the Haven. Like most of us posting here I work real hard for my money and it just keeps getting rougher every day! Pre-Covid I would take a couple of different types of vacations every year – Typically 1. Haven Cruise – 1. High End All Inclusive - and assorted long weekend type trips. I try to know as much about each vacation spot I choose before I go and have put the same effort into learning what the overall Celebrity Retreat experience is all about. 

I'll be the first to come back here and say I was wrong and my Retreat experience did not compare to my Haven experiences, but my research tells me that won't be the case, we will see. 

If it was $ for $ Haven loyalty would have won out, but the dollars are so far off and as much as I love the Haven the rates NCL is asking for can't be justified. The numbers are so far off I have no real input to Oxo's query other than - nothing NCL does is worth over 8K per person even in the Haven - even in Alaska!

Ok Seashark I'll do what I believe to be an apples to apples comparison - just like Sthrngary I Love The Haven - it is my preferred vacation! I will be taking my wife on a cruise in late November itineraries at that time are Caribbean dominated - I like new ships because for me the ship is as much the destination as the ports are - so I wanted to cruise on the Encore - cost is over $8000 per person for a base Haven cabin. Took a quick look at Celebrity Apex - cost $3500 per person for base Retreat Cabin. Boom Apex is booked!

I have never been on a Celebrity cruise, but I will wager I will be very Happy with the Retreat Experience and I will keep $9000 in my pocket! So, I was wrong it is Apples to Oranges and Apex's apples win!

Sthrngary you may be able to convince me to go with Joy over Apex because that ship is new to me and I do love the Haven! 

I would imagine 17726 on Encore is very similar to 17726 on Bliss -there is a fairly long thread on CC about this cabin. My input would be it's the first CYPH I would book if available. There is absolutely no noise leakage from the main sundeck at all while you are in the cabin. Of course if you are on the balcony there will be noise from the main sundeck. Search out that Bliss thread if you want more detail.

I know some people on CC keep saying book now - what's a deposit cost you, just put down a deposit, etc. but right now in my preferred cabins (lowest level Haven) a deposit is $1500 and NCL pricing is way out of line. I love the NCL Haven experience on Breakaway + ships and it is my preferred way to take my once per year vacation - but I will not be booking at these prices!!! The 30% sales, their loyalty cruise benefits, are all BS and are still over priced. If NCL's pricing does not come back to earth I will either try a new cruise line or simply stop cruising! 

Sailing Away I don't do the math your way - $4400 per person is $8800 a week for a 7 day cruise about $1100 a night plus fees it's about $1250 per night- for me not worth it. However, that was not the point of my post. Earlier in this topic other posters mentioned the bill to open Alaska to cruising and someone made a comment about the Cruise CEO's having insight. I didn't get into details in my first post but I had been tracking cruises again for about a week. All of the September cruises on Bliss to Alaska were under $3000 per person for the entire month every time I checked in for about a week. That suddenly changed to pre covid type pricing. My post was to point out that this sudden jump makes me think the CEO's know this bill will pass and many people will book a cruise at pre-covid price points even though it is late season for Alaska and still early in  the process of resuming cruises out of US ports.

Captain Woody - I agree I snoozed I lost - but I really didn't care that much - the price was enticing but a late season Alaska cruise didn't make me feel compelled to rush into it. But I will also say I didn't think it would jump up within 12 hours - maybe after some sort of announcement on the bill in Congress but not the same day! Truth is I am still hesitant to book travel. 

Well the CEO's must know something! This morning I ran a test booking for Bliss to Alaska in Sept - it was about $2500 per person in a Haven Forward Facing Cabin - didn't pull the trigger and book it - I wanted to discuss with my wife first - Wife agreed great deal let's go - Went online to book it tonight and the price is now $4400 per person! NCL knows Alaska is open! I don't begrudge NCL for pricing that reflects the value they feel a Haven Cruise to Alaska is worth. However, I did not book this cruise - I won't pay that much for a Haven Cabin even though it's my favorite way to cruise.

For the last several sailings I have only been in the Haven. For me the Bliss has the best Haven experience - so far! But My favorite overall ship is the Escape Hands down.

1. Escape

2. Bliss

3. Getaway

4. Breakaway

My next favorite will be the Encore! Because it's my next cruise and my last cruise always tends to be my favorite until the next one!

Tomservo you are stretching my memory but my overall impression is that menu items changed from when this was a "pub belly run restaurant" once NCL ended that contract and changed the menu the food was not as good or the same. I remember always liking Lamb Chops, a Shrimp Dish and a Dumpling dish, the Pad Thai is also good, and we always like dessert! I have rarely had bad service anywhere on an NCL cruise with the exception of  a very slow meal on the Bliss at Le Bistro. Le Bistro is always our favorite particularly for my wife, on the Bliss my wife returned her meal and ended up not eating an entree, they need to fix Le Bistro on the Bliss. Service at Food Republic has always been great on every cruise every ship that has it. Maybe northernrose can add more recent details from their September cruise?

Shidah first the balcony on a Haven room on the 17th floor is deeper than the balcony on the 18th floor by a few feet - it does allow that if you are at your rail the people on the 18th floor above you can see you by the rail. This was never an issue the extra space overuled a lit bit of privacy loss - whenever I was out there no one was on the deck above and balcony's on cruise ships are not that private to begin with. The extra space left to right was significant, I am guessing now but 8-10 feet. The balcony was very large we had 2 recliners brought in and left the table and chairs and we had plenty of room with space in between everything. I never noticed noise from the restaurant or the common deck that adjoined the balcony. There was a noise issue in the morning from a crew door across the hall but I still highly recommend this room and plan to book it again on the Bliss and or Encore.

I stayed in 17726 on the Bliss and would do it all over again any time. It is very private there is no sounds from the sun deck at all and the balcony is huge. Look at the plan that white area next to 17726 is not part of the cabin but your balcony extends in front of it. We had two longer brought out there and spent a decent amount of time on it. The location is very private the only issue we had is the crew service door across the hall could create noise particularly in the morning hours, despite that noise I would take this cabin again in a heartbeat. I don't remember if I could enter the Haven Hallway but there is definitely a door that I used to leave the Haven at the end of that hallway basically 20 steps from the door to 17726- Starboard side

As many have mentioned the bar is close. I even walk to the bar from the upper sundeck just to get up and move around. I do tend to tip but only a a dollar or two here and there and not every time the servers bring us a drink and the servers always have been very attentive to my wife and I. Beyond tipping we always are polite and appreciative of the attention they pay to us and try to be just as friendly to the servers as we find most of the Haven servers to be towards us. Maybe that brings better service even more than the tip! If I sit at the Haven Bar for any period of time I do tend to tip a bit more just because I truly appreciate the great service and effort they put into getting a drink just right for you, the Haven Bartenders are fantastic, You will enjoy the Haven on the Escape!

For Blondie1746 - yes the Haven offered a dinner special every night - one night they had a T-Bone steak which was great especially since there are no more bone in steaks at Cagney's. They had a Bronzino fish special and a Salmon special on two other nights. Steak was awesome and my wife had the Salmon and loved that. We only ate in the Haven restaurant for dinner twice and at least one of us had a special each night, so I would say the special is a good idea for the Haven! I asked each morning when I was there for breakfast sometimes just out of curiosity and other times because I knew I was eating there that night. But I only remember these three nights. By the way Prime Rib in the Haven is excellent!!

For AtlantaAlly:

few questions if you don’t mind?

- is there a haven perk for seating in the comedy shows/Beatles cover band in the cavern club? Or just first come first served? The Beatles were first come first serve being in the Haven gave no priority - for Comedy late in the week we asked our Haven Concierge to get us a reservation for the Friday night 10 PM show and she got us in no problem

- were you escorted to shows from the Haven? This one surprised me they no longer escort you to the theatre - there were about 3-4 rows reserved for Haven Guests for each show - we arrived 15 minutes early to 4 shows Havana, Jersey Boys, Comedy and Beatles act and never had a problem, no lines we walked right in. They open up the Haven seats about 5 minutes before the show and the rows were never full - so no escort was no problem

- how crowded is the Haven bar between 5-7 (pre-dinner) Times? Never "crowded" for me a few nights there were maybe 10-12 people out there pre dinner and I thought that added to the experience each night!

- what room were you in? How was your butler service? I was in 17726 and for me it was awesome, some others may not like it because it was at the end of the Haven where the main deck starts, some nights we heard the parties at the pool deck but for the most part we were never in the room before Midnight. We had a huge balcony 8.5 x 17 we had two lounge chairs 2 chairs and a table and we could have added more, at times we hung out on the balcony and enjoyed the music from the main pool. There is a service door across the hall and staff does use it at all hours - if closing door noise will bother you then the perk of a huge balcony won't help - for us it was great and the noise does not bother me - I sleep like a rock! Butler did everything we asked including changing our two bottles of sparkling wine to a red and a white.  Changing up the afternoon snacks to include mini sandwiches each day, put a small bowel of peanut M&M's and Potato Chips in the room, but other than that we don't ask for much. Very personable and very helpful if you ask, he was constantly asking me if he could do anything else for us. Jenzer was his name and he was great.

- did you have the concierge make any day of dining reservations for you? Anything they couldn’t get? We had the concierge change every pre-cruise show and dinner we had arranged, and they were able to do it no problem. We also are only a party of 2 so I can't speak to this ability for larger parties but it seemed like most people had a very good experience with change requests. To me the Haven Concierges are at the top of the list of Haven perks. One example we had an over charge on our bill from Le Bistro the haven Concierge personally went to the service desk and had it removed, saving me from the painful experience of standing in line to potentially argue.

My wife and I just got home from a great week on the Bliss!! We have only sailed on NCL and have only booked Haven cabins for our last 5 cruises. I find the Haven product to be worth the extra cost and try to pick a week inside of a specific window of time and simply go the week that offers the best rate- I mostly sail for the Ship experience not the ports. I try to sail on NCL's new ships within 9 months of their inaugural cruises, however I liked the Escape so much I sailed on her twice. I also booked on the Breakaway when the ship was a couple of years old because of a great Spring rate to Bermuda. So, I guess my answer to another thread about what's going on with Haven Rates would be I pay the rack rate but shop for the best weekly rate I can find and then book to experience the Haven not the destination. 

If you asked us if we would sail Bliss again both of us would say Absolutely YES!!!. 

I will add that I started what was to become a detailed review after my first Escape cruise that I titled something like Read the Rock and intended it to be a detailed review on how NCL dealt with a bad situation. However, I became sick and had to deal with a long-term health issue and never finished it. So, for this one I will share my overall thoughts and answer any questions you may have but keep it relatively short! It seems as if every time I sail, we have some issue and, in every case, NCL handles the issue perfectly. 

1.     We always fly in the day before to avoid day of travel delays etc. that may cause us to miss the cruise. This also allows us to enjoy a day/night in South Beach. This year we stayed in a recently renovated Marriott Autograph Resort - The Cadillac Hotel. The hotel was so outstanding that I will be doing something I never do -rate them on Trip Advisor. The Hotel service was exceptional. My only complaint is the area, it’s a short walk from the Fontainebleau and there are no non-hotel restaurants within walking distance. So, for this reason I will switch back to my normal choice of the Marriott Stanton in South Beach. Great Restaurants, Bars, Beach, Great Boardwalk, Park and pier where you can watch the Friday night cruises depart. 10 Minute Uber ride to port in the morning.

2.     Embarkation was quick and painless. We got to the terminal at 11:15 and we were in the Haven Lounge at 11:35. I liked the new Haven set up - they now confirm you as a Haven passenger at the bottom of the stairs outside the terminal. They then escort you to the front of the security lines, bring you into the Haven lounge, check you in and escort you all the way to the Haven Lounge by passing whatever lines may be in the main terminal. As I said we arrived at 11:15 and I will say the general boarding area was not crowded or chaotic, it seemed like everyone was getting on board quickly.

3.     For those that have asked Day 1 includes lunch at Margaritaville for free for Haven passengers. They also include a 50% discount at Food Republic on the first night. We opted for lunch at Margaritaville and really enjoyed the burgers we ordered along with Conch Fritters. Overall very good but we never went again during the rest of the week. We have always loved Food Republic on the Escape, but I will agree with those posters that have posted that Food Republic is disappointing on Bliss. We had a couple of good items outstanding service but overall very disappointing!

4.     Some random highlights the Haven Observation rooms are outstanding, and we loved sitting there for sail away and at other random times during the week. The 19^thfloor sundeck is always our go to day time hangout, we always found loungers, never overcrowded, the staff keeps it to 16 and older. The expanded size is great and the loungers facing forward on the left side are a perfect spot to watch the world go by and are truly relaxing! Servers were very active, and we had no problems getting drinks on the sundeck. The first two days at sea were very windy so I was not surprised that the retractable roof over the Haven lounge was not opened on those days. But on the return trip from Tortola the winds were light but the roof was never opened, they had people up on it doing some sort of repairs that were not finished on our cruise, hopefully it will be fixed because it’s great to relax in the atrium area by the indoor pool with that roof open, this was one of the few disappointments we had all week. 

5.     Jersey Boys was excellent, Havana was good not great. We managed to squeeze into the back of the Cavern Club to hear about 5 songs from the Beatles cover band in that setting and I would have preferred to see a full set in there but it was always crowded and “sold out”!! We did go to see them on Friday night in the theatre and that was a great show. We also watched all three comedians do a set in the main theatre and they were fabulous, then went to the adult 10 PM show on Friday night and laughed all night. Sligo Band was great, they do an 80’s set in the Cavern Club. The piano playing woman entertainer in the Mojito Bar was a lot of fun. Overall entertainment was a 9 out of 10. I would have given a 10 if Havana was better. 

6.     For Food we eat breakfast and lunch every day in the Haven. We had a great meal at Cagney’s, La Cucina was better than on other NCL ships but only good not great, Los lobos was fair we would not eat there again. Le Bistro is normally our favorite NCL specialty restaurant, but it really was not good on Bliss, I have to agree with other posters something is off there, and the location also is odd. We did not try Q. 

7.     Bartenders were awesome everywhere. Haven, Local, Mojito bar all great. Bong had it going every night in the Mojito Bar! Grey Goose is back on the UBP!! For us we were always out enjoying as much as possible that the Bliss had to offer, we were out past midnight every night, which is a big deal for us, the Bliss seemed to always have something fun going on all the time, so it kept us up later than usual!!!

That’s all I can think of for now – if you have any questions just ask and if I have an answer I will reply. Bliss is a perfect name for this ship - the trip and week were pure Bliss for us!!!

Just off the Bliss this morning - yes there is an elevator inside the Haven operates between Floors 17-19

Traveling on the Bliss in a Haven PH Suite tomorrow - all in right around $6K - worth it to me when I cruise. We have sailed Haven several times and always pay "retail" to get what we want and have never paid more than $3K per person.Granted I won't pay what they are asking for a Haven cabin in Alaska. But for now I am not interested in luxury lines I like the action around the mega ships with the ability to retreat to the Haven as needed. As for unruly kids I deal with it by finding somewhere away from them. I am on vacation and won't let it stress me out.I also have heard kids are not allowed on the Haven sundeck on the Bliss and that is where we spend most of our Haven daylight hours and have never seen kids in the Haven bar/lounge area at night so no problem there either. When the time comes for me to travel on a more sedate cruise line I will try a luxury line but until then $6k is worth it for me. I guess I will find out this week if the Haven is still for me! I also have no problem drinking Absolute, Stoli, Kettle One and Titos - and plan to drink a lot of it - no Grey Goose on UBP who cares!

I have never had an issue finding a lounger in the Haven, hardest spot was around the pool on the Escape with the roof open, but always seemed to end up sitting there at one point during sea days. As others noted the sun deck is the best place to lounge and I assume the Bliss with a larger Haven sun deck than the Escape or Getaway  will have plenty of loungers. I will be on the Bliss on Feb 9th the Haven is sold out I will let you know how it goes that week.

I am thinking about sailing on the Bliss and thought the same thing from the drawings on the website so I called my CC and she sent this info on Haven Forward Facing and AFT:

Forward Facing:

This is The Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony. Please keep in mind, these are stock images that are made available to provide an idea, but the cabin shapes and exact layout will be slightly different deck to deck (and especially the wheelchair accessible cabin). The rooms themselves are the same size, it is the balconies that differ.

· 13106 – smaller balcony (27 sq ft), cabin interior 388 sq ft, total 414 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, does not have a connecting cabin.

· 13706 – smaller balcony (27 sq ft), cabin interior 388 sq ft, total 414 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, do have a connecting cabin.

· 9106, 9706 – balcony is 43 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 463 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, does not have connecting cabins.

· 10106, 10706, 12106, 12706 – balcony is 45 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 465 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, does not have connecting cabins.

· 11106, 11706 – balcony is 46 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 466 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, does not have connecting cabins.

AFT Haven:

This is the The Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse with Master Bedroom and Balcony. Please keep in mind, these are stock images that are made available to provide an idea, but the cabin shapes and exact layout will be slightly different deck to deck, with varying balcony sizes. The rooms themselves are the same size, it is the balconies that differ.

· 10314, 10914, 13306, 13906 – balcony is 151 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 570 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, do not have connecting cabins.

· 14880, 14280 – balcony is 168 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 588 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, does have a connecting cabin.

· 11312, 11912 – balcony is 175 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 595 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, does have a connecting cabin.

· 15276, 15876 – balcony is 199 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 619 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, does have a connecting cabin.

· 12906, 12306 – balcony is 215 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 635 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, do not have connecting cabins.

· 9318, 9918 – balcony is 248 sq ft, interior cabin 420 sq ft, total of 667 sq ft. Separate bedroom with a door, does have a connecting cabin.

The drawings online are very misleading