Sthrngary

@FetaCheese The way you do it is start with an (@) followed with out a space with the screen name. Even before you are done, the names closest to it show below. Click the one you want. This sends a message to me or anyone else that you tagged them. Hope that makes sense. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My Last Post On this Topic: For anyone that has a question, please ask by putting a @Sthrngary in the front of your question. In my work life prior to retirement, I used to study great coaches. Many of them I met. One that made an impression on me and I had dinner with him was Coach John Wooden. One notion the coach kept saying was "Control the Controllable" . An example was teaching his players how to put on their soaks. If a soak was put on wrong, it could create a blister and the blister could effect performance. You can control the Soak. Cruising is much the same. Allow me to give some examples for cruising: Booking the Week before or After a Holiday: I used to book Thanksgiving cruises with my kids. When they grew up, I stopped. I realized that the ships were crowded, the kids owned the pools and hot tubs, and the fares were higher. I started booking the week before or after Thanksgiving. Problem solved. Date/Times for Specialty Restaurants: There is usually a date and time where you can begin reserving for your Specialty Restaurants. Let's say it is 120 days out. The instant the window is available, I book the reservations. The pre-work is to make a decision on what you want and when you want it. Special Excursions: My favorite excursion is not an excursion at all. It is reserving a Beach Villa on the cruise lines private island. The Villa handles 6-8 guests so the economies expense is spread over each guest making it reasonable. As expensive as it is, it is always the first excursion to sell out. I book it immediately. Boarding the Ship: I book early, bring a book and wait at the terminal for the crew to let us board. If I am in a special suite, we board before everyone else anyway. If I am in a normal suite, I have boarding group one for the past many cruises. This helps me change reservations or gain access to places like the Vibe Beach Club which sell out super fast. Butler Letter: After having hit/miss butlers I started to write a letter and give it to the butler with their entire gratuity on day one. From that point, my butlers were all hits. The letter has background on my wife, family and guests joining us. It has likes/dislikes. It have food requirements or needs. It has a few simple requests. Now use your imagination to find things you can control. Have a positive attitude to thing you can't control like weather or missed ports. Happens and no way to control them really. I assure you that your vacation will be better when you control the controllable. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@FetaCheese I am so very excited for you. I believe you will be on the Riviera. Please when you come home, let us all know your experience. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@FetaCheese Hello friend. Here is what I remember from last year. I booked my cruise with the Labor Day 4 category upgrade. I am not saying or have I heard the same sale will happen this year to be clear. At the time, my TA large agency had a special where they paid your gratuities. However, this sale made that perk (gratuities) not allowed. I was a bit bummed but understood. It did allow my American Express Platinum Perks to be valid though. Months later, the Extraordinary Sales Event happened and it WAS combinable with the Four Category Upgrade Promotion. I thought that I won the lottery to "Double Dip" promotions. Then I was informed my American Express Platinum Perks were no not valid. Fair trade with all things considered. Since I booked my cruise last September, I have not gotten a paper brochure. So that relates to your situation. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Not my thread so I won't hijack it. If you want the Haven for Adults ONLY, NCL is not your choice. If you want a fantastic family vacation during holiday times, and you want a quite NCL Haven, it won't work. Choose the week before or after and the Haven Courtyard will be very quite. It is knowing the ins/outs of a family cruise line. Not good or bad, just some simple strategy. On to the Haven for Adults ONLY. Now if you have not read my posts let me start with a fact, I love the NCL Haven VIP Luxury Experience. I love it so much I write about it. I in no way think it is perfect but knowing the area's of concerns allows me to avoid them. Now that I have that out of the way here is something to consider. NCL did us all a favor when they increased the Haven Fares. They opened up the door to going from a Mainstream Cruise Line to a Premium-Plus/Luxury and sometimes Ultra-Luxury brand. Do the math by comparing the cost/fares/included amenities/gratuities and on. You will be surprised. When you choose Premium-Plus or above, the ships are smaller, it is port intensive, there are no kids programs, the atmosphere is far less crowded or hectic. It is again, not better or worse; just different. My favorite part is when you leave your stateroom, everyone in every category of stateroom is treated the same. Pick and choose your brands based on the experience you are looking for on your next cruise vacation. There is always give and take. Nothing is perfect. Just make a good business decision. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Daniel A Haven reserved section which is never filled is left side, orchestra. Yes, the Haven Concierge will assist you. As I have said, never an issue for a Haven Guest getting into a big production show. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ColeThornton The original thread before I revised it in 2022 was even longer. The only page that really matters to get what most people want is the original post #1. If my memory serves me, when the original "Secrets" post was a couple of years old, a member made the suggestion you did. So I did it again. It was never taken in an offensive way. My situation now is different, I will not redo this OP-ED again. It was a lot of work both times and I am not in a position to invest that type of time. Just know, all threads that provide some good education go through this. That is why when I redid it, I took all the great points made by others and added them with my own. I encourage anyone who would like to do the same to feel free. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Hello everyone. So many threads ask the same questions. So many new cruisers of new cruisers to the NCL Haven start new threads. I think it is nice to have a group of folks that share how to enjoy any aspect of their cruising experience better. Whether a hint, suggestion or secret. Each does not directly relate to all contributors, all focus on vacation enhancement. Keep up the good work and share what every you have found to gain the maximum benefit from your cruise dollar. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I guess the question about who the "Cruise Brand Line" was directed to me. Someone else was quoted and I was not in the reply so I saw it and did not answer it. One person suggested it was Crystal Cruises @nancygp. Nancy was someone whom I remember from the Crystal Board to have been both loyal to the brand, professional with all of her responses and open to helping new clients. Although Crystal was a new level of guest brand loyalty most contributors were kind and thoughtful. They were a like minded group and when I cruised on Crystal, I could clearly see what they were talking about. Best Food, Best Butler, Best Cigar Lounge, best personalized service on any experience I had had before or after. My cruise was not perfect but that is what happens with a ship, just after covid shutdown ended, with a ship that was 25% filled. Not a good representation of the brand however I saw what folks loved. The brand was Regent Seven Seas. I REALLY wanted to cruise Regent. I found folks both in CruiseCritic.com and their Facebook group to be hyper focused when a question or response to a post was in anyway critical. Like I have done here, before I book a cruise on a new brand, I want to know the "Rules to the Game". How everything really works. When I did this for Regent, several folks said I was a "Plant" or "Spy" of some sort. The treatment took Regent as a Brand off my list when it was my first choice but I needed to feel really comfortable with paying as much as a Small SUV for a 10-day cruise. In my original post I did not use the brand name because I made my decision and I moved on. Let others make theirs. New people wanting to try a new brand need the straight scope. Usually new folks are coming from a Mainstream Cruise Brand, less expensive, larger ships, with some having a high frequent cruiser status with them. The move even for one cruise to a different brand needs some level of justification that an aspect of that switch will satisfy a messing enhancement they want in their next cruise experience. The people on the Social Media Blog make a difference. Should they, probably not but they do. Hope that clarifies the questions. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Those of you that know me, I am the author of the Secrets to the Haven VIP experience. When you start bringing up children in a Haven Thread you are playing with fire. I know. I wrote the Stream mentioned above. The first post was several pages long. Two sentences, maybe 25 words were on the children in the Haven Pool and Hot Tub. It was like nothing else in the op-ed was important. Parents came out of the woodwork commenting their children were well behaved, supervised, and on poster sent a picture of her daughters doing her studies at a table by the Haven Pool. Other parents argued their child paid to be in the Haven just like everyone else. This issue always creates debate and comes up at least every 60 days. The issue is not the children. The issue is not the well mannered children, most are. The issue is the parents thinking the Haven Pool and Crew are baby sitters for their children when the parents are on vacation. Kids are kids and without parental supervision, they can run a muck. If I, a 66 year old man say something to a child that is not mine, the parent will not be happy. So as my original op-ed stated, I simply go to the Haven Sundeck and from that point forward, only booked Haven Suites on ships that had hot tubs on the Haven Sundeck. For my, problem solved. Funny story, I was in one of the two Haven Courtyard Hot tubs on the NCL Getaway. These two hot tubs had a gang of 8 or so children with ages from 5 to maybe 10. I went in when their was room for me and one of the kids in the hot tub said and I quote, "Why are your teeth so yellow!" Out of the mouth of babes of time come jewels. When I got home I booked a teeth whitening with my dentist. My teeth are lovely now. True story. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Grimix You read the post wrong. The person that made it wanted, TIPS for the Haven, not gratuities. How to leverage the Haven to gain the most enjoyment. I can understand you mistake with so many threads on who and what to tip. Not this one. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Tr1v1alCru1ser If I told you this is not the first time I heard a story like this. Just with all my reading, rarely on the Oceania Cruise Board. I am so sorry this happened to you. Great butlers can make a cruise even better. I think you would agree with that. Not on Oceania but on other ships my butlers were Hit/Miss. About 7 years ago I got the idea of creating a butler letter. In the document was a little history of my wife and myself, likes/dislikes, minor requests like coffee in the morning at a specific time. Nothing to over the top. I would then explain how awful it must have been during the Covid-19 shut down. I would do something then that I have gotten more heat on then anything I have ever said. I would put their entire tip in the envelop with the butler letter. From that day forward, my butlers have been outstanding. They have shared how much they appreciated the information and it made their job easier. We actually became friends with some that we keep in contact with to this day. Some folks on social media love the idea, others hate it and the early tip gets lively debates. All I care about is having an enhanced experience and if I can assist that along I will. I can't control the weather, delay's or missed ports. I can control the early communication in writing with my Butler. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@RocketMan275 thank you for sharing this link with @DevonianCruiser. @DevonianCruiser read the first post for the heavy lifting and ask any questions of me or @RocketMan275 if you like. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Straughn I will bet you will still consider Celebrity in the future. I am in the same boat on the NCL Haven. I will always consider the Haven however the reality is our tastes in cruising change as time goes on. That was a nice way of saying I am getting older. I used to be the first on a Mainstream Cruise Brand to enter the Belly Flop contest because I resemble that remark. As I entered my 60's, I was the first in my group up the stairs to the water slides. I did them 5 to 10 times. Now at 66, all I dream about is "Afternoon Tea" and getting enough of the sandwiches that have the crust cut off of them. I have cruise Celebrity in a standard stateroom and the Retreat. It was not to my liking hence the emphasis on the NCL Haven. My First Oceania Cruise is in 74 days. I anticipate a much quieter, more reserved, less rushed atmosphere. I will trade the Go-Cart Track for the Cooking school and never look back. My initial impressions of Oceania from the research I have done is it is the NCL Haven and Celebrity Retreat on steroids. Once you leave your stateroom you get treated the same as everyone else onboard. No snarky comments from other guests that you are in the Haven or Retreat. I say, let everyone on a cruise be a "Rock Star" and treat everyone nicely. Not claiming that is Oceania just saying personalized service is important for a great vacation. As time goes on, our minds are willing and our bodies won't comply. Not better just different. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@DrKoob I can see why your feel that way however I am a long-time Elite Member of Yelp. What you say can be true for a restaurant that has a few reviews. Those that have hundreds to thought reviews allow for the untrue reviews to be part of an average. The Elite Member are rated that way because their review tend to be more balanced and accurate. Food and Dining is always relative to what you have or have not experience in the past and your personal taste. All that said, I love your idea of reading reviews on Open Table. That is smart. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I have been educated by members/travel agent, criticized and laughed at, for my amateurish study of the concept of Oceania Guaranteed Stateroom. All of that was justified by everyone because everyday, with all the information I find, nothing seems to go the way one would logically think. If my guesses were on a table game in Vegas, I am bankrupt. Example: From a cruise that is completely Waitlisted at 90 days out which was the date that full payment was due. At 75 days when the penalties are higher, there are maybe four (4) state rooms showing as available two of which are Oceania Suites or higher. I would have thought a lot more and I would have been WRONG YET AGAIN. My conclusion for now is, I as a guest even with decades of cruise experience I don't have ANY clue how a cruise brand will strategize Guarantee Staterooms. I have NO idea other than illness or personal emergencies why folks would pay the cruise in full, than cancel it losing money. Maybe Cruise Insurance with Cancelation for any reason is a big part of the. The one definite fact is I have no clue. Now since I cannot draw any conclusions based on history because nothing is consistent, here is my completely valueless thought. If you have a Guarantee Stateroom, know the "rules to the game". Realize NO matter how much you want a specific stateroom location, or want your stateroom assigned quickly just to be out of the unknown phase; don't count on any of that happening. We agreed to ANY stateroom with no renegotiation within that category or higher. The likelihood of a higher stateroom status although possible, is still a bit of a longshot. Gaining the worst possible stateroom on the ship for your category is also a possibility but not an absolute. It is luck of the draw maybe based on status, category guarantied under, number of guest that cancel late in the game, Travel Agencies Group Bookings, and "magic pixie dust". Another words, Who Really Knows!!!!!!!! The only Guarantee is you will be on the ship, for the sailing at the category your booked or higher with that assignment done before the ship departs. Would I do a Guarantee again, Absolutely under the same circumstances of a four category upgrade to a Guarantee. Fun researching this topic and for all of us it is simply, a game of wait and see. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@TFree You totally get it. I took my wife, adult daughter and son on a family cruise vacation. It got cancelled due to covid 4 times. I would start the planning over each time, each time I would tell the family my decisions and why. My daughter was VERY unhappy with the Specialty Restaurant choices, days and times. I said, feel free to change the reservation with the restaurant. Don't give up the reservation until you have another one. I will be in the bar. She never showed up and never brought the subject up again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@AMHuntFerry Thank you for telling your story. I have cruised so much, going with someone with fresh eyes is half the fun. In my family and now with friends, it seems like they could care less they are going on a cruise until it is about two weeks away. Drives me nuts. How do you tell three adults in their 60's and 70's that strategy and preparation makes a difference to your overall cruising experience. It is like talking to a wall. Yet at the two week mark, the question happen. What time is our flight leaving? Why is it so early, can we change it? Why did you choose the Polo Grille for that night? Let's do it another night! We are doing a cooking class on a sea day, why can't we get our friends in the same class? Why did you choose that hotel for our pre/post cruise? it seems like we could have made a better choice. Cruise after cruise I got these types of question way after the time when those decisions had to be made. To combat these annoying questions by folks that took little or no effort to discuss the topics the MANY times I brought it up, I came up with a solution. I call it, the "Journey Document". In it I outline times, dates and decisions made plus why they were made. When the crazy questions come up I say, "Page 20, middle of the page". When they don't understand why I can't move a restaurant date and time, even with an explanation of the policies of the cruise brand. My response is, "Call your congressman or take care of it yourself when you get on-board. Good luck". It is not quite as bad as I am outlining but for planners and organizers that have to beg for feedback, it happens all the time. "Respect. I get no respect. No respect at all!". Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Traveling Fools Thank you for clarifying there was not a Haven area on this ship. This thread is about the Haven Secrets. Much more importunately, your post and other simply confirm, "Book your own flights and control what you can control". Also, NCL is a very nice cruise line, however when going to many exotic and foreign ports, we should look at all options and be extremely well informed. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Pandazoo This is the statement that really says it all for me. I, like you have been in the NCL Haven for many cruises. Yet I am booked on Oceania for my first cruise. The only comparison I have is those cruise I have taken on other brands. Not what is different about Oceania today. Less time at a port, missing frequent ports are area's I have found on every cruise brand I have ever taken. It really matters when the port lost is the MAIN one you wanted to go to. So very frustrating. In reading from cover to cover the Oceania/NCL guest contract/agreement, we as guest give Oceania the right to do all those things. Do I like that, no. Is it clearly spelled out, yes. Will I like it if it happens, no. However, I knew the rules to the game when I paid a really big credit card charge. That was my personal and everyone else choice, before we choose to use the brand, ANY brand. Now will I go in the Haven again, sure. Am I a bit disappointed in some past experiences, yes. Mostly because for me (you might feel the same way) the price went up and the quality went down slightly. So I made a change for this cruise to compare what I know, to something new. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

How I Write A Post-Cruise Review: First I always write and post reviews for my cruise experience. I got so much pre-information from others, it is my way to pay it forward. My reviews are always balanced. Nothing is ever perfect or Losey. I take the key categories and create a template on a Microsoft word document. All I have to do is fill in the blanks when I am done with the cruise. I also include items that are not provided by the cruise brand but effected my experience positive or negatively. Transportation, Embarkment Port, and pre-cruise dining as well hotel. By making a template, it makes the end product of a good review better and easier. The best review is when you have no expectations nor have ever cruised before. I remember how happy and satisfied I was at the time. As you cruise more, you expect more. When the newness is gone you look and evaluate different things. I hope this makes sense. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Pandazoo Please remember how I phased and outlined my comments. This site has been much more balanced to the other site I outlined in my post. That is based on my personal experience. As an example I define Luxury on a cruise line bases on improved experiences I receive comparted to my previous experience. Is this site biased, you bet. Just more balanced. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mauibabes Bonnie and Gerry, what a nice and helpful response. Thank you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@McGarrett5oh In theory, you can board anytime you want when you are in the Haven. I am about to say something that simply does not make sense and I know it. YET, I still do the 21 day check-in the moment I can. Old habits die hard. I have no reason or excuse. It is something I look forward to as much as that unbelievable walk from the port to the ship. Maybe not quite as much but close. I am SO VERY excited for you and yours. It has been so much fun to read your comments, op-eds and responses. Cruise well and enjoy every moment!!

The biggest mistake I (and others) ever made on a cruise vacation was to have "Unrealistic Expectations" about our upcoming cruise. The cruise I am referring to was not a great cruise because of it and it had less to do with the experience than my anticipation of the experience. That was a lesson well learned. Part of the issue was I went to the brands specific blog and the reviews, experience, and over the top comments were overwhelming. Anytime someone would say something less then flattering, the members of the blog did an attack stating overwhelmingly the commentors thoughts were flawed. This was a new level of brand loyalty and it seem completely legitimate. It was to them but not so much to the new guest first experience. This Oceania Cruises Board is MUCH more balanced. You have some that love most aspects of the experience and others that don't. No one really get to emotional about any one thing however still shares how it made them feel. When your new to the brand, knowing these items allows you to prepare and manage our expectations. An example is who the Oceania Marketing team over hyped Dinning Experience on Oceania. How do I know it is over hyped without even taking my cruise yet? Simple, read all the reviews and topics of the faithful and new guests. So now, when I have an outstanding meal and service, it will exceed my expectation. When I have a average experience, it will not disappoint as much. Take dining to any topic associated with a cruise. So thank you Oceania Cruises Blog. More than helpful. Even some of the condescending remarks tossed at me (and others) on some of posts. I deserved it. I am the one asking for help and you have the experience which you freely provide. The guest that are joining me on this upcoming cruise have never cruised before. My greatest joy will be to assist them with simply things I learned here and make their first experience better. That makes my experience enhanced. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.