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@daydreamer62 To be fair, every brand blog has those same negative type comments. Some are surprisingly the same members of CruiseCritic.com. I find that somewhat amusing. Just know, It is defiantly NOT a Oceania thing, it is a social media thing. For most but not all, it is kind of like the Brand becomes a family member and we hold family members to a higher standard. The other thought on negative comments is some folks simply need an outlet to share their feeling especially when they feel unheard. Human nature. Hear is my take on the good news. My first cruise was in November 2023 on Oceania. I had no frame of reference. All I could compare Oceania to was my past cruising experiences. It is like when you first meet someone and start dating. That last line is funny because I have been married for 45 years. Back to the point. The first couple of dates can be really lovely because it is fresh. Then, you see some issue and flaws. So some of the comments by folks are after many dates, covid transitions and changes which no one likes or want much changes when you are comfortable with a product or service. Love your comment on food, cooking and dining. My wife and I say all the time, we cook better then some of the restaurants we frequent. Oceania had good food as compared to most (not all) of the cruises I have gone on for 44 years. Not one cruise I have been on was all HITS for food. Always some misses. I just sent it back and get something else unless the issue is bad service which also happens. No one should ever expect a 5-Star Dining experience on a Cruise Ship unless you are paying an investment so high that you could have purchased a new Small SUV for the fare. Attitude as you outlined it is everything. When you read a complaint, or issue someone has consider looking at it in a different way. If you know what folks who cruised a brand liked or did not like, you can make a plan to avoid it or do it. Just make sure there is enough folks agreeing on the issue and it is not a one off. Example: When I cruise the NCL Haven, the Haven Restaurant has Lobster Tails and they are quite good. So a Mainstream Cruise brand in there exclusive area/restaurant does Lobster tails well. Yet it was my experience that the lobster including the Lobster tails cooked to order at the buffet was well not very good. Then, my friend got Lobster at of all places, Red Ginger and loved it. I knew to avoid the lobster because of what I learned online prior to cruising Oceania. For the most part it proved to be good advice. My guest and wife did not choose to take the information I shared as accurate and supported the online findings. However, then Red Ginger made the claim subject to preparation and not quality. Funny, confusing and what actually happened. Food is relative. Bottom line, I assure you that your time will be new, fresh, lovely and have a couple of issues. Just the way a new cruise brand happens. Thanks for responding to my post. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thanks to everyone the downloaded my document and made comments. Glad you saw some value in the thought process. That document was sent to Oceania Head Quarters and shared with the leadership. I was honored to hear that. This morning, I was writing a NEW topic for my personal blog, not CruiseCritic.com. It was about how to create a "Ultra-Luxury Cruise Experience on a brand that is not Ultra-Luxury". The notion was stimulated after reading a good CruiseCritic.com friends review of his resent Ultra-Luxury Cruise. We are all looking for something when we cruise. What I want, may be the same or different then what you want. Yet what we all want and the one thing that seems keep coming up is "Personalized Service". That is not the ship, brand or dishes in the restaurant. It is how the crew treats us. Not being treated like a number. Being treated like a valued guest. Whether it is remembering your name when you check in to the Grand Dining Room (Happened every visit for me) or the bartender in Martini's remembering you love the "Big O" martini. Those tiny little things make a huge different. Sometimes, we can help that kind of treatment to happen more often and provide a sense of satisfaction for both the guest as well as the crew member. Should it simply happen naturally, YES. But the world is simply not perfect. Will we enjoy our cruise better if it happens to us, YES. So help it along. Here is an additional item to my list of "Secrets List" that I wished I had included. I call it, "Find a Crew Member That Did Something Outstanding and tell their boss about it." Not hard to find this item if you are open minded to being observant. It happened to me on my Oceania cruise last month. When it happened, I was both impressed and excited. What it was does not matter because your criteria may be different then mine. I went to the front desk, asked to speak to the General Manager (Emma). You can imagine what the GM thought I wanted to talk about. When it was a sincere complement for some (More then one) crew members, the GM was thrilled. From that point forward, when the GM saw me onboard, she said hello and visited for a minute or so. I would always introduce the GM to everyone around me. The crew member were praised by their bosses and thanked me for the kind words when they say me next. They told other crew members. We can be so quick to find fault with something on a cruise and let it effect our entire cruise. I know, I have, I am a pro at it. I can destroy the entire cruise with my attitude because something did not go my way. Then a great friend taught me that perfection and cruise vacations is an "Unrealistic Expectations". They were right and I was wrong. So I came up with "Finding Someone Doing Something RIGHT!" strategy. Not original but what really is. Some folks say, when I write I tend to preach or talk down to folks. NEVER my intention. Long winded, absolutely. My goal is always to find a way, even if it is my own effort, to make my cruise regardless of the brand, a better experience then the last cruise. That kind approach made every cruise after using it, a better cruise and yes, more like an "Ultra Luxury Cruise". "Cruise well and enjoy every moment."

Food in general is one of the most debated topics on any cruise board. I can see why. At home, many of us, myself included are very careful with our eating program. My wife watches ever calorie and logs them. I Skip meals and fast once a week. Why? Because, when we go on a cruise, we want to indulge, which is exactly what we do. Cruises are motivation to stay a normal size to enjoy special delights for 10 days a year on a cruise. Cruise food has taken an evolution in the last 4 plus decades of my cruising life. You would think, if you go on an ultra luxury cruise brand, your dining would be greatly improved even in a buffet. Well it is all about the choices you make. It is also all about the brand of cruise you choose. There is a very lovely couple who has started to do some YouTube videos on Ultra-Luxury Cruises. It is very interesting and RSSC is one of the brands they review. As a matter of fact, they did more then one sailing. To nutshell their findings, there is another ultra-luxury brand that had what they call the best food across the board. Yet they still choose RSSC. Like everything on a cruise vacation, their are trade offs. When they weighed dining vs. other things, they made a decision RSSC was their choice. The dining was excellent to so/so for them as is indicated on this thread but it their minds, making good choices was their solution. My approach to good choices is to read all the food topics for a specific brand and ship. It is not perfect but I get some good advice. The bottom line, food and dining will be debated for ever. Just glad to have the opportunity to do so on as many brands as I can muster. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@kahuna21 NCL has two rates. One is the Non-Haven Rate and the other is the Haven Rate. In the Haven Rate it is more but it is important to recognize it "DOES NOT" include the gratuities for the butler. This situation of not including the butler always confused me. I just went on Oceania Cruises. We had a Butler. Oceania includes the butlers in their gratuities program. Just like NCL, the gratuities amounts are higher for Penthouse and above. I still provide my butler with extra over and above the Gratuities paid. However it is nice to know they are part of the gratuities program. Just my two cents. Side Note: One of the main reasons I cruise is the Crew. I have traveled all my life and rarely did I ever have a staff so committed to excellence in a hotel. These fine and hard working folks deserve a raise if that is what Oceania has in the future. No issue from my clan. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am quite sure you are correct. What we client have is more powerful. When the price, exceed the value by one cent in the clients mind, they don't buy. This is a seesaw and not the easiest decision to make for the cruise brand. But let us all not forget, if we clients stop buying they go out of business. A great company needs to read the room. The client have the control and since it is Their money, they should. It just takes some time for the cruise brand to as I said, read the room. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@9tee2Sea No, the Haven do not take reservations. The longest wait I have ever had for a table was 20 minutes. Specialty Restaurant, because you are in the Haven, you can reserve them, online, before anyone else can do so. I believe you can do that reservation 130 days in advance. Again, the Haven Restaurant does not offer reservations. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Yinster The issue happening is what we all simply have to weigh. Cutting benefits when you are also raising prices it my issue. I am of the thoughts, raise the price to keep with the rising costs; Just don't cut the benefits and amenities while raising prices. Every business especially a great business like NCL deserves a fair profit. Especially after the hardship they went through with no clients, having to gain funding during the covid times. We as loyal brand and Haven cruisers fully understand that. It is just business. However, we came to the Haven for a different kind of cruise experience. We did not want to give up the grand mega ship attractions yet we wanted a certain level of luxury, exclusivity, and quality at the same time. The notion of a "Ship within a Ship" concept was initially the "Best of Both Worlds". What was missing was a really good way to consider this concept of the Haven. Information written from a guest point of view. That is what this and other threads offered and it had a significant impact on he popularity of the Haven Concept (unprovable just boosting). Once we all knew the Plus/Minus, we evaluated the Value Proposition and the Haven became for many of us myself included "The Only Way To Cruise". Slowly as one could have expected, the investment went up. Especially on the newer ships. I don't know when the line of value vs investment was crossed but it was. We can all live with that. It is when price goes up and value in the form of what was provided in the past, is not in the future. Little things started to be reported and all of a sudden, it opened up the thought to look at other brands simply base on cost comparison. That is the history. All I am saying is, NCL has to rethink the Haven Concept. Either increase amenities and benefits to support increased pricing. OR, Decrease amenities and benefits and reduce prices. You can't have it both ways. Well you can actually and when folks figure it out, they look at your competition and other brands. That is happening factually is we all read other blogs on CruiseCritic.com. It is also happening to Celebrity Retreat and MSC Yacht Club guest. NCL is simply my favorite cruise brand with the Haven dear to my hear. That is why I focus on the topic. Do I love the Haven, YES. Will I cruise in the Haven again, YES. Will I support those that cruise the Haven, YES. Is it a great concept, YES. NCL has to ask themselves a question, "Is the Haven part of their future and if so, make it all it can be and make the investment equal to the benefits." Just my two cents. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Yinster Wow, I never thought of doing that. I think not at this time. The key to the original thread and the updated 2022 thread was to help other get every ounce of value from the Haven. The original thread pales in comparison to the wonderful comments in real time by all the Haven Cruisers over the years. Funny thing on the Secrets of the Haven and on the other thread I wrote on the Premium Plus Beverage Program. NCL seems to change things when they see we figured out how to leverage all their amenities. Then folks cruise, see some of what used to be part of the privileges are now gone. That is interesting but a credit to all the folks that made all the great comments over the years. Thank you for asking, I love the topic. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Sailing12Away Thank you for taking the time to comment. My main point was, the Haven has to evolve in value to sustain the investment it is now at. This is compared to other brand, ship and stateroom options. Now what I would think is a value, might be a complete waste to other. That is why their are so many brands and options. Again, thank you for your comments. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@CDR Benson Hello my old friend. Everyday since you returned I have been coming back to the RSSC CruiseCritic.com Blog to read your thoughts. Not sure if everyone on this thread fully understands how you take your written thoughts extremely seriously. Your reviews are always fair and balanced which takes time and focus. What impresses me most is your skill to state an area of dissatisfaction in a way that is balanced with an area that is outstanding. I have recently read so many threads where a cruiser felt the brand they cruised was the worst brand of all time. Not one positive thought and the areas outline were extraordinarily picky. Your review clearly outlined balanced fairness. Bravo. I read your comments twice to make sure I fully understood your engaging story. Not one thing surprised me. The difference is as most folks say, "Personalized Service" across the board with every crew member. That is something special. Is it worth the Premium Paid. To some, yes. To others, no. On your comments about the food/dining. We all know food/dining is relative but I was impressed on your lovely bride enjoying her lobster. We recently cruised on another brand, we so looked forward to the Lobster and it was uneatable. I was also very impressed with your review of the Steakhouse. I have had some bad luck on Cruise Brand Steak houses of late. The hit/miss aspect of food even on an Ultra-Luxury Brand seems to be a common thread. Your embarkation and dis-embarkation experience was excellent. About what one would expect with a Ultra-Luxury Brand and smaller ship. The same holds true of your review of your stateroom. What struck out to me as being a positive was your experience with Ground Transportation (Hotel to ship excluded), Pre-Cruise Hotel, and airfare arrangements. These three area's are the most criticized on most cruise brands. Nice to know RSSC has their respective act together. I am thrilled you and your lovely bride had this experience. I am even more thrilled that someone I trust, did such a lovely review to allow me to consider RSSC as a future brand to be considered. Thank you for your time, experience and as always the service you provided to our country. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Sailing12Away GREAT advice. The original question is also a good one that led to your response. One of the many improvements I suggest for the Haven on all NCL ships is this coffee thing. I actually sent it to the executives at NCL because I really like the Haven, think it has some room for improvement that would be little to no increase in cost for NCL. The idea came after comparing the Haven to other brands accommodations and amenities from a value proposition standpoint. Some of what I suggest were but not limited to the list below: Coffee: All Haven guest should have complementary Starbucks coffees. I know that all Haven Guest can gain the French Press from the Haven Restaurant but that is loved or hated. Other brands have a full fledge barista bar that is complementary to everyone on the ship. Premium Plus Beverage Package: All Haven Guests should have the Premium Plus Beverage Package. This eliminates the need to provide your card when at the Haven Bar. The Premium Plus Beverage Package is a shell of its former self. This is not a stretch for NCL. Butler Deliver Adult Drinks to the Suite: If everyone has the same Premium Plus Beverage Package, then the Butler should have the ability to bring drinks to the suite as long as a bar is open. This is done on many brands and it makes a difference. Butler Gratuities: NCL needs to include the gratuities for the butler. It is wrong not to do so. Again, they price/investment of the Haven needs to be as all inclusive as possible to support the value proposition. Specialty Restaurants: These should be complementary to all Haven Guests. At absolute least, just provide every Haven Guest with the Free at Sea Plus program. Vibe Beach Club: The complaints with the Haven Sundeck is not having a bar up there. If the Vibe is open to the Haven Guest, it will not cause a issue with crowding. The Vibe is never crowded. It will open up the bar which is rarely busy in the Vibe. My Haven Guest will simply go back to the Haven sundeck. Soda's In the Suite: The only Haven Suite that has complementary soft drinks/mixers is the H2 Owners Suites, Owners Suites or on the small ships the three bedroom villa's. When you go on other brands, the mini-fridge is complementary with soft drinks. Thermal Spa: The number of Haven Guest is about 200. The only Haven suite that has complementary access to the Thermal Spa is the Haven Spa Suite. Give it to all Haven Guest with age restrictions. Haven Pool Adult Hours: The issue is not nor has it ever been the children. NCL is a family cruise brand. That is why even in a Haven suite, the 3-4 person is discounted or free. NCL wants the entire family. The issues have been the children's parents thinking the Haven Pool is the Kids center. Have a couple of hours a day for ONLY adult swim. Now some of you may be confused why I would suggest these updates in the Amenities of the NCL Haven. Allow me to share. As the Haven has gotten more and more popular, it has also gotten more and more expensive. There comes a point when you have to consider what other brands provide. That time came for me when I compared a 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise on another brand and mostly all that I suggested above was provided as part of everyone's fare price. Add to that, the ship was just refurbished and the cost of the fare was 65% less then the Haven on a per day basis. This makes it difficult to always book a Haven Suite even for the same Itinerary. I am still a huge Haven Fan. I just want a better value proposition based on the issue I and other Haven Guest have recognized. I will be a slight premium over other brands but there is a limit. I hope NCL is listening and will consider some of not all of my suggestions. I will send this post to them once publish to remind them of the letter I sent some time ago. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thanks for doing this. The Original Post was done in 2019. It was updated in 2022. The one you have was the updated one. I remember taking out most references to children in the Haven as part of this update. Thanks again for doing this. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@HHI Cruiser1 Thank you for asking. I wrote the NCL Haven Secrets twice. Updated at the end of 2022 I believe. I never posted the PDF for that topic. I don't have one. Sorry but thank you for the complements. Much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Yesimapirate That sound great. I was not all that concerned but thought it was interesting. The more the merrier on the travel to Venice and hotel. Let's plan on it. Thank you for your note. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@cruisemom42 Thank you. Since Trieste is at the end of our cruise, it just provides some interesting options for visiting a new place. Maybe, we add more then a day at cruise end. Spend time in Trieste and take the train to Venice for a day before flying out. I totally get the reasoning and after my first trip last month to the Mediterranean, absolutely no fear of Trains and Buses in Europe. Thanks again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@pinotlover The Venice port is actually the last port which is dis-embarkment port.

@ORV It was the Hangout Music Festival. I loved it. Especially Super VIP. Went several years in a row. The first two years, I had a Airstream RV. We stayed at the RV park right up the rode. The next year we did a condo up the road and brought electric Scooters to take us up the road to the festival. So much fun. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@harryw I love your approach and style. If we all look at an aspect of cruising that is less than nice, Pool/Library Chair Hogs are on the top of the list. I am sure they all know who they are and don't care what the rest of the world think of them. Entitled is as entitled does. Rude is rude and selfish is selfish. The reason why places like the NCL Haven (Haven Sun Deck) or Celebrity Retreat (Retreat Sun Deck) or MSC Yacht Club (Yacht Club Sun Deck) or even the NCL Vibe Beach Club exists has a lot to do with Chair Hogs. I used to get so upset at entitled cruisers until I realized, I had choices. The main one was not to get upset, not to get confrontational on my vacation and just find an alternative that even better. For me with Oceania, it was the Spa Sun Deck which I absolutely loved on every level. Should all brands do a better job of stopping this situation, YES. Will it happen, NO. How do I know this, years of cruising on many brands. If you are a chair hog, and you know who you are. Stop or next time, somebody might toss ink on your homemade sign saying a chair is reserved for YOU. Cruise well and enjoy every last moment.

@Torquer Thank you. My thoughts exactly. I was looking at the Train and bus schedule. It is so far in advance, it is nice to know how close everything is in Europe. Thank you again for your response. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I was on the Riviera last month and while cruising we booked a future Cruise. It was October 13, 2025, Monte Carlo to Venice. We liked the itinerary better then other ports and so we booked it. We are easy, if things change, we are flexible however we are looking forward to getting to Florence (if the cruising gods wish it to be) because it was a port that we missed last month. Yet, it is a cruise and somethings you have control over and somethings you don't. Today I look online and Venice, Italy is gone and Trieste, Italy is in it's place. It shows online as Monte Carlo to N/A now. I also noticed that the ship, Vista last port of Trieste, Italy, which was dis-embarkment did not show another cruise for the Vista for the next 6 days. Interesting to say the least. No big deal at this stage just an interesting turn of events. I guess this is what happens when you book two (2) years in advance. From a planning standpoint, the closest major Airport (Going to use Delta Airlines) would be Venice which is a couple of hours away per train or bus. Makes the trip even more interesting. Not a third world issue but I will love to see the transitions over time. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Tipping is one of those topics that get kicked around weekly on a cruise board. Those that ask, generally want to feel good about the decision they will make. With that as my focus, here are some thoughts. As @PhD-iva said, when you have a butler, they or a member of the butler team will deliver your room service. I like @PhD-iva pay the gratuity to the butler in the pre-paid gratuity program and provide extra also in the form of another lump some. The extra is just that, extra. When the butler is not part of the equation, again, no additional amount is required. However, if you would like to provide some additional, it is at your judgement. A few dollars seems appropriate. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@CDR Benson I simply cannot wait. Glad you are home safe. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@JDPCruisers As I have said, I am no expert. Based on the assumption you are referring to the Riviera which is what we just went on, here is what I know. PH1, PH2 and PH3 are basically the same except for where they are located. The Riviera was just renovated at the end of 2022. My understanding all the ship got a redo but a few of the PH3 still have the bathtub where the rest were converted into a huge shower and storage. That is the best I can do. We like our Oceania Cruise very much and compared it to the NCL Haven. The difference was an enhanced cruising experience, with little to no children, on a smaller ship with better service and food. The entertainment was not as good but we knew that and the tradeoff was more then worth it. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@JDPCruisers You are more than welcome. I am no expert but happy to share any part of my recent experience. Your experience on the Celebrity Beyond must have been with Captain Kate. She is an all time favorite of mine. What a pro. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MEFIowa All of what you say is true. My point was using the cancelled port as simply an example. Learn from others as I have learned some very important lesson's from you. Your approach to wine and drink is really well thought out and has a level of sport to it that makes it even more fun. Things happen one cruises and if we kind of know something could happen, we can attempt to have a plan for it. That is half the fun of planning. Then you have the new things you learn that are both good and bad. Just makes your planning for controllable things that much better in the future. I had a fun time meeting you and your lovely bride. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.