Enavigo

I could tell you all the reasons I have cruised in Haven suites on NCL but now that NCL has become the Priceline of cruising It is insulting to those of us who outright book suites to see how low the folks next door paid compared to us.

 

 

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I go back and forth on this one. We also only book into the Haven outright and I have gotten more annoyed with this new bidding program not just for the price discrepancies, but also the noticeable increase in strain on service demands we have noticed.

On our first Haven cruise (pre Upgrade program) everything was just so relaxed and the butler/staff to cruiser ratio seemed perfect. Since the new program has gone into place we have found each trip to be a little more stressful in the Haven and a little less ability to get things done for us. It is clear they are struggling under the demands.

I know the Haven always sails full so it's not a numbers thing. One of the butlers told me they are experiencing this "once in a lifetime trip" effect the upgrade program is creating. And upgraders are demanding everything under the sun to"get their money's worth."

I also experienced this once myself on the Breakaway where a woman announced at embarkation how she got such a good upgrade bid deal and she was looking forward to the trip. Everyone around her was really happy for her, but as soon as she got on the ship she pushed her way in front of about 4 other people to talk the the Conceirge. We went to get drinks at the bar and 45 mins later she was STILL there! As we left the lounge I actually heard her say: "is there anything else I need to know about free stuff I can get or special privileges I get as a Haven guest." Snoop just looked at her dumbfounded.

In the end, we know just go and don't let anyone effect our trip. I agree that if I continue to see the strain on service we will probably look the Regent. My big issue is I LOVE the DOS suites on the big ships and I don't want to give it up for a smaller suite on a Regent ship with an older demographic.

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The new Bliss 14 day sailing was going to be around 15k for us in a haven vs 7k for a balcony. That’s over twice as much. I think i didn’t proofread when i wrote 3k. Sorry! It still makes my point though

 

 

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Ahh, for a 14 night in the newest ship ... now it makes sense! Whatever you decide, have a great trip! [emoji3]

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I am for sure a "Haven or nothing" type of cruiser and have always completely enjoyed my time in the Haven and felt it was worth every penny.

That said, for $15K more I would simply pass on the cruise! I'm not sure what cruise you are looking at or what category you are looking to upgrade to, but that seems to be an extreme price difference. For a point of reference, I am cruising on the Escape to Bermuda next Sept in a Deluxe Owners Suite for a little over $10K for two.

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Regarding disembarkation, the programs are slightly different for Haven vs CAS. Well, at least for the Breakaway and Port of NY they are. Essentially, the CAS perk ends at the gangway so to speak, while the Haven benefit extends to the terminal exit.

On my last trip on the Breakaway, we had 2 CAS guests join us in the internal elevator (something about the Conceirge covering for the CAS host). As they were escorted on, the Conceirge reminded them that once they left the ship they would need to stay left and join the general passenger line. He then told the rest of us to just stay to the right and show our Haven cards to the attendant at the terminal doors for entry and expedited exit.

Of course, these 2 pretended not to hear these instructions and tried to sneak through with the rest of us, but when the attendant saw their cards, she told them they needed to walk back and join the general line.

These two proceeded to then tell the attendant that they were told they were entitled to exit with Haven guests. The attendant's response was priceless: "Sir, I have been working this door since the Breakaway began sailing out of NY, and in all that time, no one has ever instructed me to grant Haven privileges to non-Haven passengers. Please walk back and join the general disembarkation line."

She said it so politely, but so assertively. I actually told her she handled that expertly and she just smiled and said "experience." [emoji3]

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Being a newbie, I didn't mention this...but I couldn't believe it would be the Epic bc the Boston port agent told me that Boston isn't deep enough to port a bigger ship. The mega ships can only tender into Boston.

Not sure what Port agent you spoke to, but that is simply not true, at least from a Harbor standpoint. We have massive ships coming in and out all day every day (my office has a view of the airport and the entire inner harbor so I can see the activity all day).

I have seen the RCL Anthem and other similar size cruise ships here as well. I think the limitation is not the harbor or the piers themselves (which are in much better shape than NYC -- in my opinion), but the relatively small black falcon terminal and the lack of large tourist cruising infrastructure down in the seaport. Some have mentioned possibly going to a forced arrival time staggered approach to support larger ships, but as a Bostonian, I just don't think that would work.

Black Falcon is essentially an add on to centuries old commercial shipping operations. The fact that it is located smack dab in the middle of the hottest real estate area in Boston right now also means getting around the area is getting more and more difficult. Just the other day I had a arbitration hearing down in that area. It took me 1 hour to make it back to my condo ... which was a little over a mile away in the financial district. I would typically walk but it was pouring rain.

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I think the best months come with the highest risk, unfortunately. September and October in Bermuda are simply beautiful and by then the hustle and bustle of the summer has died down and you get to really see the island (and its residents) in their more regular day to day routines.

The only months I would not go would be June through August. It is just so busy and hot then. If we could not do Sept for some reason, I would probably check out May. I will admit that I am biased to Sept/Oct because as a kid that was always the time my family would visit friends/family on the island.

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We have been on the Breakaway twice to Bermuda and would only travel in the Haven given the size of the ship. We are booked for next fall on the Escape and will be in the Haven as well. For us the Haven is 100% worth it.

I think there is a lot of merit to the idea that day after day port intensive trips can somewhat dull the need for the Haven, but I also think Bermuda is somewhat different than your traditional 7 day cruise. You are there for 2.5 days, leaving the rest as ship time. And while you're there, plenty of time to enjoy all the Haven benefits (I find on port intensive trips we do room service in the mornings more, but for Bermuda we eat in the Haven every morning).

Also, there is one nice Haven benefit specific to Bermuda ... with the new NCL-dedicated St George ferry you can cut the line at Dockyard to get on the ferry (which always had a crazy long line). I just wish the Haven line cutting applied to St George as well! Maybe they can add that as a 2018 season enhancement. [emoji6]

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Thank you all for the input. Very much appreciated [emoji3]

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On our Breakaway trip last fall we bought thermal spa passes for the first time, best money we spent. I particularly enjoyed the therapy pool as that helps with my bad back.

We'll be headed to Bermuda next fall on the Escape and it will be our first time on an NCL ship other than the Breakaway. How does the Escape Spa compare to the Away-Class spas? Is it larger to accommodate more people? Is it about the same size? Any and all insights greatly appreciated!

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We took the NCL-sponsored KSC excursion last Feb and it was still the case that we got to stay 1 hr after reg park close. We had a great day! The Atlantis exhibit was our favorite. We did not feel rushed at all and were able to do everything in the time allotted. Perhaps we just went at a slow time of year?

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On my Oct cruise a few NCL folks told us "late summer but probably fall 2018."

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From your keyboard to NCL's inbox! Ha

That would be a nice change. It's weird, I've noticed the other lines cruising out of Boston have switched ships with some regularity, but with NCL it is always the Dawn. Not that the Dawn is a bad ship, it's just been here for years.

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Fingers crossed that they swap out the Dawn for another ship. Seems like the Dawn has been here forever.

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Thanks. What did you use it for?

 

 

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We didn't use it at all. I spent a lot of time as a child in Bermuda (parents had a home there) so we go back to visit family friends and do day trips on our own.

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That's correct. I had the same ship excursion promo on a cruise to Bermuda last year and our cabin received one $50 credit.

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Perhaps this has been discussed elsewhere and I missed it, is this just for new bookings regardless of travel date or does it apply to all cruises departing from now on?

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Perhaps we just lucked out on our fall 2018 Bermuda cruise on the Escape, but I'm actually paying less for a DOS on this upcoming trip then I paid on my last two cruises to Bermuda on the Breakaway in a DOS.

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Our experience is limited to the Breakaway, but our 2 cagneys visits have been terrible. 20 mins for drinks to arrive, 90 mins for dinner (with no appetizers ordered), descent steak (but not great) and the constant vibrating shimmy and rocking at the back of the ship.

We enjoyed the Dover sole at Ocean Blue and the meal at Japanese place was good, but a lot

Of food!

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We have two rules that have worked well for us in the past: never eat at the buffet and never use a public restroom. So far so good!

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For me, there have really only been two types of concierges ... good and great. A good concierge is there when I need them and disappears when I don't. A great one can tell the difference without being told. [emoji6]

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You should call to see if the terms have changed since I last looked into this, but I believe it is a combination of both the closest airport's viability, subject to an overall distance limitation.

They would not force you to an airport that does not offer at least some connecting service to your final destination, but I believe it is subject to like a 60 mile/1 hr radius.

I'm sure others with hands on experience will jump in to help you out. We researched this for a family gathering a few years ago, but ended up cruising that trip on DCL instead so I stopped researching.

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Every time I have cruised out of NY I have noticed more and more ships utilizing a larger number of piers. First time I cruised on the Breakaway we were the only ship. My cruise last month there were 5.

I wonder if just increased traffic required shifting around some departure windows? Just a guess.

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Really enjoyed your review. We were on the Escape this past May and I totally agree with you that Tyler Gray is one of the best cruise directors ever. I read other reviews about the Escape and some people didn't care for him. He had so much energy! Sorry to here is is going to be on the Bliss. We are booked on a cruise to Bermuda on the Escape next summer. I was hoping Tyler would still be the cruise director!

Rumor is that Dan Dan will replace Tyler as the Escape CD when the Escape replaces the Breakaway in NY next spring.

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We try to arrive early for one primary reason -- in case anything goes wrong! One time, we hit bad traffic and instead of arriving at 10 we arrived at 12.

Our last cruise we arrived at the terminal at 10 and it seemed more backed up than usual. Even our Haven security line had like 6 people in it. Well, turns out that was the beginning of an absolute disaster of a day! The computers went down and they stopped processing all passengers through security. By the time they started up again, the place was a zoo with the Haven line hundreds deep. People that arrived when I did really just dealt with the 1 hr delay, but people that arrived between 11-12 didn't get on until about 3.

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Oh no.

It is just a hyper-technical point I am noting. I'm not even sure if it has any meaningful impact for your son. But if you find some point discrepancy after his cruise that might explain it (although, I'll admit going back and retroactively adjusting his point totals seems wrong to me).

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