Notnewtoit

Sitting in the Atrium with a Martini is almost as good as watching a movie sometimes...

It is vacation time and I am not going to keep track of the dollar value of the drinks I consume just to make sure I get my monies worth from the UBP. I will settle for a nice peaceful buzz during my cruise

I'm with you...

"Shall we have another?"

"Errr, yeah!"

Then

<Sleep>

OR

If <Awake>

GoTo

<Repeat>

...or something like that. The male brain is easily pleased.

Even "free" I wouldn't take it unless it was FREE, that is no 20% charge. With the 20% fee we both would have to drink 3 drinks a day, every day, just to be slightly in front.

We're willing to make that sacrifice ;p

"If it ain't beer, it ain't breakfast"!

We've done Xmas and New year out of Miami a couple of times... decorations, Christmas tree in the Atrium, crew carol concert, various Santas, some drinking cocktails (i.e. passengers). Undoubtedly some religious services somewhere but they wouldn't let me near that... ;)

NYE - mega (and I mean mega) party on the pool deck, ice sculptures, dancing, big countdown, Captain Stig's giant horn at midnight, free champagne, and the crew letting their hair down too which was also a lot of fun...

Whole ship has an even happier 'buzz' than normal.

Doing it all again this Xmas/NYE!

I am on the Jade for a 2018 Christmas cruise Dec 24 - Jan 5th, and just snagged a beach cabana for only $349 (that is good for up to 6 people). They say shuttle (golf cart) to the cabana. And I even got my silver latitude 10% discount. Well worth the price to me.

Just for clarity should others revisit this thread, you are describing having rented a Luxury Beach Villa. The Cabanas are fabric structures arrayed around the pool area at lower cost.

$314 with Platinum discount and perhaps another $50 off with the shore excursion OBC... $264... very nice indeed. :cool:

I ended up going to bed after 1am reading reviews on the ship lol. I’ve looked over what people say and some of it scares me, but some of it isn’t so bad. The itinerary is what I really love and it seems like fate it fits into our dates perfectly

I'll echo the "itinerary is more important that the ship" comments... IMHO your honeymoon is about destinations... cafe's you drank in, views you saw, shops you bought that doohickey in, dishes you ate. Those are the memories you will treasure and most likely revisit at points through your married life. In this case, the ship is a moving hotel, you won't be lamenting how the cabin carpet was a bit old looking in one corner, you'll be remembering the espresso you drank overlooking the canals of Amsterdam. The ship will be gone... the places will remain.

For some on this board the ship is the destination, and I get that, I can be the same... but you are on your honeymoon... that is about experiencing the world together, not carpet or paint (or a large mouse).

We were there in March. Water conditions will always be largely affected by weather, wind, sea-state, recent storms etc. so that is in the lap of the Gods. We’ve been twice and the water was fine for swimming and playing. It’s not Bora Bora, never will be and snorkeling is largely without point.

All of that said... the beach villa experience is SO GOOD, you really don’t want to miss it. Relax, enjoy what the Gods give you from your private hammock and drink a beer.

Our family really enjoys the 2-BR suites and were happy with them on both the Dawn (no Haven) and the Gem (there are 2-BR suites that are not in the Haven). However, if I want one of those suites on a newer ship my only option is to get a Haven room. I wish that they had continued to have non-Haven 2-BR suites as I don't particularly enjoy paying more money, and there would be many fewer kids in the Haven area.

Interesting and to some extent explains the reported Haven/kid issues seeming to come from the megaship Havens and less so from the Jewels (based on my unscientific recollection of various posts).

.....but don't cut it too close. A "be back on board" time will be posted as you exit the ship. We shoot for back on board an hour before sailing. Unless you're on an NCL tour that is late returning, the ship will leave without you.

Spoilsport... we so love to watch the inevitable stragglers legging it up the dock holding a giant sombrero on their head with one hand and a drunken looking straw donkey in the other; as we sip a cocktail! ;p

b

We chose the Haven after talking to friends who as my mother would say “have more money than God.” They have young adult kids ages 19-24. In the past few years they took them on a private yacht (kids thought it was “cool for first 24 hours, them bored out of their minds”), then on Regent ( “kids liked the food...then bored”) then Ncl Haven where they had 3 rooms ...paying a premium for their daughter to have her own room( “food only good not great but ...everybody had a great time”.)

Great insight Maya!

I see an opportunity for a brand where you can have (truly) great food AND a great time! Maybe Mr Del Monte will oblige...

Also... while they may be sold out, there may be cancellations even at the last minute and/or if someone in one of those cabins is themselves upgraded then everyone gets to shuffle up one slot. So... give it a shot if you're interested, worst that can happen is nothing. :cool:

I post here not to argue with the OP who appears to have a legitimate (and poorly addressed) grievance but only to share a calibration.

Sky is one of the oldest ships in the fleet I suspect and may not benefit from newer technology and newer engines. She is ~23 years old, the Jewels maybe ~13 years old and megaships newer than that. It's been years since I was on Sky.

So I wouldn't damn all aft cabins if you're coming to this thread to research them.

I have been on various Jewels over the last decade and in Aft cabins multiple times. Yes there is soot, especially on sea days but on those ships at least it was entirely manageable by a quick wipe with a hand towel or such.

Aft cabins (especially Penthouses) are great places to be... but maybe not so much on Sky by the sound of it.

I'm with you :D I didn't realize the those other lines were that restrictive with their dress code.

"Not jeans/shorts and a collared shirt" isn't THAT restrictive in the grand scheme of things but Regent seems the more prescriptive of the two.

Jackets are optional on all but the long duration formal nights as described.

I think the previous replies are enough to me off walking it, by their very nature the area surrounding ports tends to be less than desirable... We take the catamaran ferry ("excurison") over for $29 or whatever it is... then walk.

Because when I searched I couldn't find any answers to when these go on sale (Harvest Caye)...

These just went on sale for our sailing at the T-minus 165 day mark... So hovering around NCL.com in this timeframe may be useful. I am informed by NCL that they become available by phone and internet at the same time.

:cool:

I also dress for dinner....but not at 6pm! I'm still having fun at 6pm. I just imagine "...dinner at 6...in bed by 9..." on Regent. :D

 

 

...that's not us.

Yes I'm with you... truth is we're normally in our cabin around 6pm recharging for the evening but anyway... absolutely.

For the benefit of the thread I found the following on Oceania website FAQ:

Recommended on board clothing is resort or country club casual. For evening dining, elegant casual resort wear is suggested. We request that casual jeans, shorts, t-shirts, baseball caps, or tennis shoes not be worn in the restaurants after 6 PM. Baseball caps may be worn in the Terrace Café after 6 PM.

Seems slightly less prescriptive and more acceptable to my taste than Regent. Amusingly... I have never set foot in a Country Club (by choice) and find it an odd descriptor... Presumably 'Pringle' would be considered the height of fashion!

Please for the love of all that is holy... don't turn this into another tipping thread please folks! ;p

The Regent SS dress code is just so......uggghhhhh. :rolleyes:

 

Country Club casual (resort-style attire) is appropriate for daytime on board or ashore. Shorts are not appropriate after 6 p.m. in any of the public rooms or lounges. Guests are asked not to wear bathing suits in the restaurants and lounges at any time. Evening attire can be Country Club casual, informal (sport coat and tie recommended), or formal (black tie optional). Evening dress codes begin at 6 p.m. Depending on your itinerary, the dress code varies by ship and location. In your documents it states how many formal nights there are, and once on board, the suggested evening dress code is listed on the front page of your ship's daily newsletter.

The evening dress code is Elegant Casual, and Formal Optional. The number of Formal Optional nights per cruise is dependent upon the length of the cruise, as follows:

• Cruises of fourteen nights or less will be Elegant Casual for the duration
  
• Cruises of fifteen nights or more will have two Formal Optional nights
  

Elegant Casual: Skirt, or slacks (no jeans) with a blouse or sweater, pant suit or dress for ladies; slacks (no jeans) and collared shirt for gentlemen. Sport jackets are optional.

Formal Optional: While guests are welcome to dress each evening as per the Elegant Casual dress code, during Formal Optional evenings, guests may opt for a more formal choice of clothing including gowns and cocktail dresses for ladies; tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suit with tie for gentlemen.

Useful thank you! Kinda aligns with what we do anyway but the prescriptive nature is annoying... Do you happen to know if Oceania follows the same model?

Ahh Very good point! I think I always just discounted those lines because at the initial look they always seem so much more expensive and not as many things "to do" on the ship. I could be wrong as I'm pretty new to cruising.

Yep... Any good multi-brand strategy should overlap... the top of one overlaps with the ~bottom of the next; creating headroom... In my cursory research and all-in Haven experience equated pretty closely to the ~middle of Oceania... and that is likely where my next Dollars will go when I'm done with my two current NCL bookings. It may not be a one way street... but seems like worthy of a reconnaissance sortie; as does MSC YC.

"Scrum" is a rugby term when all the players are in a bunch pushing and shoving for the ball. I think his point was that you do not have to put up with that in The haven restaurant, as the Garden Cafe is the buffet for all the other categories on the ship outside of The Haven.

Correct, Haven breakfast and lunch are genteel affairs in the Haven restaurant or Moderno/Cagney’s dependent upon the ship class...

This is an interesting and topical question for me... I am looking at MSC YC but similar size suite and added specialty restaurants actually comes mighty close to NCL, experience looks good nonetheless.

Hence my question becomes broader...

"If I'm looking to find "Haven'esque" experiences on other lines... would I actually be better off (experience/value) stepping up to 'normal' on a more 'luxury' brand overall (rather than trying to find luxury on a mid-tier brand like NCL)?"

In other words... does stepping to Oceania or Regent kinda make the problem go away... if you see what I mean?

Interested in informed responses. :cool:

NOOOO! The MSC YC is highly overrated. It is actually a very unpleasant experience. Stick with NCL Haven y’all. [emoji3]

 

 

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That's an interesting comment... can you expand?

$12000 !!! and Im assuming that U.S. dollars. I did a 16 day back to back on Navigator in 2016 and in 2017 I did a 7 day Rhapsody and a 10 day Jade back to back. All in nicely situated balconies and I paid about $9000 Canadian (so about $7000 U.S.) for 33 days of cruising.

 

I would never even consider paying that amount of money ($12000) for what amounts to going to the same ports of call at the same speed. The only difference from reading threads on the Haven is that you get a bigger cabin/suite and maybe if you are lucky some free water!

Yep you did well and that sounds like a great value combination trip!

I think the "I would never pay that" type responses here are fine... from the perspective of those writing them; but 'value' is a very personal thing and we are all calibrated differently in that respect for a myriad of reasons and circumstances. The Haven does (in general, most of the time) offer a different experience and delivers value in different ways to different people. My point being that blanket statements don't really work (in support of either argument).

For us the value is generally delivered upon, yes the ports are the same but the experience is different, the lines, the stresses, avoiding the scrum in the Garden Cafe for breakfast and dirty food covered tables, the cabin itself, embarkation, tendering... blah blah... those are all things we value. When we get lucky on an investment or a client buys an extra job, we look in the piggy bank and ask "drop an extra $6k for the Haven on our 11 day Panama at Christmas??? Hell yes...

On the other hand I drive a Jeep with a broken fender, not an Audi Q5, but I wear $300 shoes, sleep in $300 bedsheets but buy Wegman's own-brand Corn Flakes and soup, yet drink Blue Label Scotch. None of those choices are right, wrong, smart or stupid, they are personal... I apply my hard-earned cash to things I personally care about.

Use it to cover your daily auto gratuities and then get spa passes. These will definitely use it all up.

I'm likely missing a nomenclature nuance here... but I asked NCL directly on this and they told me that the OBC cannot be used to pay 'gratuities'... is there a particular 'mechanism' that is applicable here to do this and avoid the 'no'?

Too much ice. I really didn’t care that much. We had such a warm beautiful day and we saw a bunch of whales. I thought the scenery was absolutely magnificent as we floated by. Snow capped mountain and beautiful water. I even got a glass of champagne to sip as I watched and had my usual daily limit of 3/4 of a glass of alcohol in the middle of the afternoon! (I know, I know you are all probably saying to yourself “Maya was not kidding when she said that she’s not a fun person!”)

 

Yesterday after Skagway excursion I went to the Haven sundeck. I am not kidding when I say that I was the only person there for hours. It literally was like being on a private yacht. The servers kept asking me what I wanted and seemed perplexed but obliging by my club soda orders. At one point I wanted to throw away my tissue and asked the server where the trash can was. He held out his hand. I was like “ absolutely not, I’m not putting my trash in your hand” he laughed and thanked me.

 

I have no idea where everyone else was. Still on excursions I guess.

What happens if you down that last 1/4 of a glass... I mean, given your track record on drugs and disorderly conduct...??? ;p