Russiamomm

I was in the Haven on the Breakaway in April/May of last year. Have also done two Haven cruises on the Joy. Honestly, I’m not sure if the roof retracts on the Breakaway. I don’t think it does, but it might. We never got in the pool. That being said, we much preferred the Haven on the Joy. We really didn’t like that the BA had no outdoor searing in the restaurant and “overflow” was in the pool area. No real loungers in the pool area as a result. it just seemed weird to eat a meal with people in the pool. We also really missed the Horizon Lounge. The BA doesn’t have one. We also missed the elevator in the Joy Haven. Again, the BA doesn’t have one. You have to use the stairs unless you go outside the Haven complex. To get to the sun deck, you had no choice but to take the stairs. also note that the BA does not have a hot tub on the sun deck, that was really disappointing. We enjoyed them on the Joy. That being said, the service was great and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Just preferred the Joy’s Haven.

I’ve never been in the Studios on the BA, but I believe the lounge is similar to the Escape. The lounge has pastries in the morning and snacks all day. There is a fabulous coffee machine. There is not a bar. I believe it has a wine dispenser, but it’s an extra cost and not included in any drink package. The space itself is bright and comfortable with sofas and a few tables. The nightly solo meetings are sometimes held there, but the last few times I’ve been on the BA, the meetings were in a public bar.

I tend to agree with this. It may be worth it if you like high end drinks, but I wouldn’t do it for the meals, and certainly wouldn’t buy an extra meal package. The food in the Haven Restaurant is better than anything else on the ship. We do the FAS meals to “shake it up” a bit, but we are usually on longer trips. If this is a seven night cruise you will only have three nights in the Haven restaurant. That’s not enough. 😂.

That makes sense. It’s altogether possible that is how it was calculated. Either way, the cost of the upgrade went down slightly since we booked it originally. I had asked for a quote for the upgrade back then and todays quote was lower. Probably because the cost of the balcony room dropped.

Just an update. My guy just called. The price to upgrade was indeed the current difference between the price of the “free” cabin and the price of the cabin you’re upgrading to. Cost us $240 pp to get the balcony. We may have done better with a bid, but it was worth it to be guaranteed the balcony.

The 2BR Havens are also continuing to drop for my Dec 1 transatlantic on the Epic. It’s gone down another $400 since we made final payment. I just talked to my casino guy. He confirmed there is a ONE TIME FCC offered for price drops after final payment. There’s still tons of those cabins left. We’re going to wait and continue to watch the price.

I have the same situation for my October Alaska cruise. When we booked it we decided to just go with the “free” inside cabin and bid for the upgrade. We’ve decided to just pay outright. When he priced it out for me before the cost would have been roughly the difference between the posted rate for the inside and the balcony. I have a call into my CAS guy, we’ll see if my calculus is right.

True. But you can always a spa pass a La carte. In a lot of cases that’s cheaper than booking a spa cabin.

It will be in the dailies. Usually around 5-5:30 each. If Jr. Either in the studio lounge or in a bare. He/she will do an icebreaker and sign people up for dinners. They usually go as a group to dinner in the main dining room after the meeting.

Completely agree! I’m a Washingtonian, but also love Baltimore. The Inner Harbor and Fells Point are fabulous. You can take a water taxi between the two - at least there used to be one. It’s been many years since I’ve been there. In Baltimore I would find a crab house and get a dozen crabs and a few cold beers. Yum! This thread is making me homesick. 😂

Thanks! I’ve been out of the area for many years. I forgot about the MARC train. 😃

Agreed. I’ve been in both the studios and in the Haven. The Solo Coordinator is not a Concierge. The Haven has a Concierge. 😃. The Solo Coordinator is there to coordinate group activities and help arrange the group solo activities. The job shifts between staff members week by week and is in addition to their other jobs. It’s different than a concierge whose job is to arrange individual activities for passengers, help with billing questions, make dining and excursion reservations for individuals, etc. There’s a big difference between the two roles.

I think that’s an anomaly. The kids should not be there. I’ve been on four trips in studios and never saw a child anywhere in the complex or the lounge.

I don’t know about an organized tour, but I am originally from the DC area. Worked downtown for more than two decades. DC is very easy to do on your own. I would take a cab/Uber to the Amtrak station at BWI. (There may also be a station in downtown Baltimore. Honestly I don’t remember, but check Amtrak’s website.) It’s maybe a half hour/45 minute train ride to Union Station in DC. That will drop you within two blocks of Capital Hill and the National Mall. Get off the train and wander. The Smithsonian museums line the mall. The other end of the mall is the Washington Monument and the White House. There is also a Metro Station right at Union Station if you want to explore more, it’s easily navigated. Just go on your own and explore. It’s a great city.

We enjoyed our afternoon snacks. I loved the BLTs. My travel mate doesn’t eat meat and dairy. We asked for egg salad sandwiches for her and BLTs for me. No problem. They arrived each day, along with the peanut M&Ms that we asked to be replenished as they were gone. The only other thing we asked for was extra Nespresso pods and real cream for it (this was after they replaced half and half with Coffee Mate. Ick!). No problem at all. The cream arrived in a small pitcher that they put in the fridge and was refreshed every day or two.

I believe you and your husband each have four meals. Your son has none. The FAS only applies to the first two in the cabin. The third passenger in the cabin would have to buy a meal package to join you in the specialty restaurants. They are not transferable. At least that’s how I think it works. I’ve never bought the FAS+ package.

It’s definitely not a Haven perk. The only category of room that comes with a free bag of laundry is a Club Balcony. You should have been charged. If you’re close to Platinum, you were likely Gold. A bag of laundry is 50% off for Gold.

I also love the laundry being done, but this is not a perk of being in the Haven. It comes with being Platinum or above. If you do not have status, you pay the full price for a bag of laundry - even in the Haven.

You were lucky. The three times I used BOGO they were definitely not the flights I would have chosen. I also hate not having control of the reservation and the Airlimes not willing to talk to me. I’m also not sure I agree with using a TA for the same reason. I like having control of my reservation unless there is a significant discount or extra perks. I have pretty high status on both American and Delta (the only major airlines that fly from my airport). Honestly, I found it disconcerting that they wouldn’t talk to me when they pick up the phone on the first ring when I control the reservation. 😂

That’s a unique way of looking at it, but I’m pretty sure NCL looks at it as the same thing.

IMHO there’s not a good coffee option other than the French Press in Le Bistro and the Haven or the espresso machine in the studio lounge. Unfortunately the first two are only available when you’re in the Haven or eating at Le Bistro. The espresso machine is only available to solos staying on a studio. The other option is Starbucks at an extra cost. I also have to warn you. It appears that they’ve changed to Coffee Mate all over the ship (except Starbucks). Ick. Sometimes you can find a pitcher of half and half in the buffet. But not always. 😢

I hear you. It may be different in Europe. Good luck with the call and let us know what they say. (Although my kids are now of age, so it doesn’t matter, but I am curious.) I don’t want to start a debate over it, but technically you cannot order two drinks and give one to someone without a drink package. Not judging - I’ve done it myself occasionally - both as the giver and the receiver - but technically it is against the rules.

I believe your only option is to sign the waiver and they pay by the drink. I haven’t seen the caps and corks package in years, and they may not even let them buy it if it was available. This happened to us back in 2019 when my son was 19. It can get expensive. Even then I believe a beer was $8 each. One night I saw he had ordered a dozen!! He said he was buying for his friends. I told him to STOP THAT!! 😂

My husband and I both have Sea Rover status, but it’s like pulling teeth to make Virgin recognize it. It’s incredibly frustrating. It’s always worked out in the end, but a lot of frustration along the way. When we call them before the trip they confirm it. On some voyages it shows in the App, but the port doesn’t see it. Takes talks to managers at port who claim they don’t work for Virgin and need to check with Sailor Services onboard. Ultimately it gets resolved, but I just don’t understand how their systems are so inept. We’ve booked another trip for January. But once again they’re revamping the program, so who knows what we’ll get. Love the product, but it’s time that they straighten out some of these issues and come up with a permanent loyalty program.

We’ve also been in the Haven several times and have never paid anywhere close to $1000 pp/pn. Our upcoming 16 night TA is pricing out around $250 pp/pn, all in with drink package and DSC. Granted that’s after a Military discount and a 20% off coupon, but even before those discounts, it’s nowhere near $1000 per person per night.