Sthrngary

@drumming cruisers Great Questions, before I answer it, I began taking professional drum lessons at age 5. My love was Big Band Music and the Jazz Ensemble in my High School. Walt Whitman H.S. in Huntington, NY. However I went to College for Business not Music. Yet, every single elective was a music class when they found out I was professionally trained. GREAT experience. On to your question. No, on you ask for a Haven Menu. You write what you want and how you want it on a piece of paper or index card you bring. You give it to your butler WELL in advance. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

A Note from Sthrngary: Thank every one for keeping this second edition of the Secret of the Haven going. Seems more and more new folks are trying the Haven. That is very rewarding for everyone that knows how special it is. On a personal note, I had a stroke at age 61. I was a professional educator, speaker and facilitator for decades prior to my illness. I was lucky, it did not effect me to badly however it scared me. I also lost a little bit of my memory, "I think, what or yes memory". I retired and with retirement I got bored. This this thread has kept me active and interested in a subject I have enjoyed since my honeymoon 44 years ago. I am so impressed with the quality accuracy, kindness, and professionalism of every contributor. You honor NCL, the Haven and myself with your commitment. I am going to continue to assist when ever called on and always remember: "Cruise well and enjoy every moment."

The answers above are spot on. I want to address you missing the buffet. I was on the Joy, fully booked, went to the Buffet for breakfast when in a Club Balcony suite. I also was on the Breakaway, fully booked, had no issue going to the Buffet. You will also notice, NCL has a 24/7 restaurant that is pretty good if you don't want to have a long meal in the Haven. Remember, any meal that the Haven Restaurant is open, you butler can serve it to you in your suite. Keep that in mind but ALWAYS tell your butler when open, always gain food (only what is on the Haven menu) from the Haven Restaurant. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@cruiseny4life Extremely well written and informative. I was blown away with the "Fair" investment for the Haven Suite. GREAT FIND. Also, just my opinion, the Joy is one of my favorite NCL Havens I have ever cruised. My families as well. Where what you are saying in many ways is true, it is also being realistic on establishing "Realistic Expectations" based on a different kind of itinerary. My upcoming cruise is not in the Haven true, yet it is also a 10-Day Mediterranean Cruise. Follow me here for a moment. I wanted a smaller ship to get into smaller ports with no tenders, I wanted a much more port intensive itinerary with more times in each port, I wanted less of a family ship and more of an adult ship for this trip. Everything I post is about knowing your wants, needs and motives. We should also have realistic expectations to avoid disappointments that happen when we thing our cruise is going to be ultra perfect. No cruise is perfect. That means everyone like myself that think the NCL Haven is a GREAT way to cruise, also has to be open for other options. On to your suggestion with your link. I want to take my older sister in the Haven and she is on a budget. The link you gave would have been perfect so GREAT JOB. I absolutely love when folks share those kind of opportunities it really helps everyone. Side note, if you are a SOLO, the Club Balcony Suites are a very special value as well. Thank You for taking the time to share. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@NikkiPoooo27 I read your post and know how disappointed you must be. As new ships designs happen, and as we all get a little older, sometimes the two done match. Your issue in my mind is not the fact that the two new NCL ships are lacking Scooter clearance. It is that you were given the notion it did. Sometimes I wish NCL staff was a bit better informed and was much more realistic in their recommendations. But that is just me. I am going to make a few recommendations. Like anyone's opinions, some folks will like then and other won't. You are relatively new to CruiseCritic.com and this thread so I don't know much more about your needs than your post stated. Some of my recommendations will be unpopular with the NCL Haven faithful. I have been in the Haven on the Breakaway and Breakaway + ships. Your realization that those are the ship you should consider is a good one. However, I would stay with three ships as my choice. Encore, Bliss and Joy. Not that I don't like the standard Breakaway ships just the (+) always feel nicer and more accessibly to me. Brace your self because here comes the controversial one. I priced the Viva and the Prima Havens. Those prices motivated me to look to other brands and outside of the Mainstream Cruise Categories. When you reach a certain price point, the "world is your oyster". My first choice was to look within the NCL family. That is Oceania and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. These ship are far less family oriented and much more focused on the needs of 55 + cruisers. This includes the rooms and accessibility you will need with your mom. My first choice was Regent however the couple going with me could not budget that. I ended up on Oceania Cruises. Open your search and look at YES, the NCL (+) ships and some other brands that focus on an older clientele. You loose the water slides and go carts and gain enhanced dining and personalized service that is the same for ALL guests. Instead of a Ship within a Ship. It is simply a Ship. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

First thank you. You can thank my stroke on that, LOL. Also my awesome wife for correcting me for 44 years. It takes a while but I learn. Crazy right, a 66 year old that can learn. Who what have thought???? I assure you, I know how to be are really angry person. It is like riding a bike. When I do a long and draw out post, I write it. Wait a bit, read it and correct it. When I see the old GARY coming I make corrections or delete. But it is so nice for anyone, anytime to provide a complement like you did to me, Thank you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Well this was fun for a Sunday morning! I thought today was going to be boring talking about tasteless Oceania Cookies. Or how many won't be using Oceania ANY more because they took away "cruise only" options. No offense, those topic are important to some and has their place on a brands board. To each his own and this is social media after all. Like with tasteless cookies and cruise only, everyone approaches cruising differently. My money, my wants and needs. When folks like me, who have never cruise Oceania before come to this board, we are very carefully learning what to realistically expect. We are used to Mainstream Cruise Brand Boards which tend to go all over the place especially because those board have a lot more people posting. Making a decision to move from, lets say the NCL Haven for me, to Oceania is a big leap. That is why folks NEW ask so many questions. We also observe how people interact on the board assuming those here, have traveled Oceania before and are a member of the faithful. For me, I did the same thing deep dive on Crystal Cruise before my first cruise and Regent Seven Sea when I was considering it. Would surprise any of you that the categories on those other board are identical to here. Type of post, members, attitudes and comments were on those boards as well. I can't give advice on cruising on Oceania because I have not yet. I can give my opinion on what happens in the mind of new potential guest to Oceania when the faithful start really picking on each other. It makes us want to reconsider our booking. If you like a brand, always be honest for sure. Debate if you must, a point which is a level of sport on social media. Please consider, if another poster tends to always annoyed you or you simply don't like their style of posting (Including myself knowing I am a learned taste), use the "Ignore" button. Our world is in an interesting place. A cruise board is one of the last places to engage, enjoy and learn when your hobby is cruising. Our alternate is Reddit and don't try to talk about any brand other then the top four there. You will surely be attacked. Let's eat together, drink soft drinks or adult beverages together and make memories to tell our grand kids together. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@omahabob I am sure you are nicer and cuter than I am. I also talk to much. I think the best part of this flight for my wife will be private, alone time. She will indulge in wine, decent food chooses with a ice cream sundae for desert, a movie or two and maybe take a nap on a flat bed on an air craft. I fully expect to hear complaints that it was hard for her to sleep on her side. Yet, a very exciting adventure for her. For me, it will remind me of the many international trips I took where I could not enjoy it because I was worried about work, This time, it is all pleasure and I hope the the experience is much more pleasurable for me. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@davencl Since you brought it up, it allows me to again show how completely insane I am with the details on my cruises. Every single morning, I go to two sites. The air brand and the cruise brand. The Air Brand: I NEVER use cruise brand air which is a topic all to itself. I used points so I do the same booking to see if I re-book it, will the number of points I used go down. Sometimes, when you don't expect it, Delta comes up with a Business Class to Europe/Asia promotions for business class using points. In addition, I booked my guest "Fully Refundable Coach". I go to their booking so see what Delta is offering to upgrade for each segment. So far I upgraded two of their domestic segments. One to Coach Comfort ($9.00 each) and the other to First Class ($49.00 each). I am hoping for a Business class segment to go low for an international leg, like what happened to you. The Cruise Brand: Like many people, I book as early as I can for a cruise. Then I look for fare reductions or special promotions. On my current cruise leaving in November, I leveraged a four category upgrade and a sale that gave me a huge reduction in fare. I felt like I won the lottery. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Remember, this Only for the Haven Owners Suite, NOT other Haven rooms. Full Sized Bottles, list is given to you. Not every brand. Not litters. Butler will get them for you when ever you want. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you. However my wife ALWAYS wants a window seat. The Delta One Suites have seats close to the window a farther away. My wife and I (Married for 44 years) are in row 2 and 4 closest to the window. She would pay big bucks to not have me near for a 10 hour flight. LoL. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Yes and no. Let me explain. The Haven Two Bedroom Family villa has a small balcony. It might not fit another chair. Go on YouTube and view the suite with special consideration for the size of the Balcony. If the chair will fit, ask the Haven pre-cruise desk or the butler when you get onboard. No Grease needed. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@amygutman It was not the Encore. I was the NCL Joy. The good news is that the NCL Joy (H2) Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony is exactly the same as the Encore with one exception. The Joy had a Fireplace on the wall and the Encore did not. Other then that, the same. I will post the video but to be quite frank, it is not my best work. Here you go, enjoy.

Well I just crushed al of my saved air miles for this flight. Not so much for me, more for my lovely bride. She has never gone Business Class and only went to Europe once's decades ago. I got lucky and on my outbound flight we grabbed a "Delta One Suite" which even for me is unusual. On the way back, it is the newer "Delta One". I will really enjoy seeing her have the time of her life on those flights. Sadly, those point being gone makes this a "One and Done" kind of trip. I am lucky to have my adult children that live two blocks away from me and they have "Dog Duty" of my 6 year old, HIGHLY reactive French Bulldog. I know how guilty we both feel about leaving him home, just like you guys. Dogs are better than people sometimes. JMHO. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I got a box for four and bought a nice Whisky on-board to fill it all in. That is a GREAT idea. Really, great idea. Depends work for me so kind of the same thing, LOL. Now you are just rubbing it in. Now that is going to be one hell of an experience on the Prima. Also, the Encore is over the top great. I considered the Viva when selecting my upcoming Mediterranean cruise. It was 9 days instead of 10 and the cost to me was substantially higher so I choose else where. I hope you will do a detailed review and post it here after both your cruises. I and many others would enjoy your feedback. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@RocketMan275 On the bottles, I got one of those bottle boxes from the shop on-board and put the bottles in those. Just like the old days. On the wind. Your experience and mine were different. That is not unusual. As a matter of fact, I would be surprised if our experiences were exactly the same. Along with cruising is the simple fact that the weather, water and other things change everyone's experiences from one cruise to the next. A GREAT example of this is this thread. One person says "Once you go Haven you can't go back." Yet another says, "I got a Haven Suite with a cheap upgrade bid and it was average at best." Those kinds of differences is what keeps cruising fresh for me. My upcoming cruise when my suite is in the Bow of the ship again, will be very much Port Intensive. It is in the Mediterranean for 10 days. I am HOPING the ship will never really go full speed at night however I also know many days in November will have a high likelihood of rain. I am also HOPING that since the ship will dock at some nice ports because it is a smaller ship, my wife and two friends joining will be able to have breakfast on the veranda. Yet, as I said above, the weather may not cooperate. Realistic Expectations on my part. Friend, I hope you are well and we meet each other on a ship soon. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Chesneygirl I am very excited for you. Here are some comments about the DOS. Please understand although the sf looked the same as my suite on the NCL Joy it could be different. This room was spectacular and we were supposed to have five adults. However, my daughters and her significant other had a falling out so it was just four. Have your butler put a topper on the Couch Bed and the Second Bedroom Bed. With that, neither my adult son (on the Couch Bed) or my daughter in the second bedroom had any issue. I can not tell if the Second bedroom has a Trundle bed that comes down from the wall or a Couch Bed. In the Joy, it was a Trundle Bed. The second bedroom bath room seem to be shorter to accommodate children but not an issue. When you get into your suite or when contacted pre-cruise by the Haven Desk, you have three bottles of spirits or wine. We had the Premium Plus Beverage Package so I packed the bottles and took them home. The butler will also replace all your soda's and mixers complementary which is very unusual for a Main Stream cruise brand. Our first bottle of "REAL" French Champagne was spoiled so if this happens to you, have your butler get you another one. It is no issue. Storage is insane so look in every area. My wife found even more storage when we were leaving to go home. The show stopper is the veranda. Here is what I did. I had the pre-cruise haven desk order me some extra lounge chairs. It was done when I arrived day one. If when sailing it gets two windy, you should have a side deck with a glass door to limit the wind. You may even have a third veranda off the Master bedroom. I am sure you have search YouTube for the Owners Suite on your ship. You can see my video as well from the Joy. As I have said so many times, this 7-day cruise with my adult children was the best of my 30 plus cruises. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PaulMCO That sound lovely. Nothing is as good as a relaxing morning and a hot cup of really good coffee. In REAL life, I have two cups of coffee. Really one, but drink it half at a time. First half is when I wake up, then my dog cries for a walk and I have to let the coffee sit, then it is a cold cup of coffee. The Only reason I go on cruises is to get a full hot cup of coffee. Worth the fare, LOL. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

No, spirits bottles are only for Deluxe Owners Suites in Haven

Allow me to share on two (2) situations. First, the Haven 2-bedroom Family villa. this is an extremely nice suite. The second bedroom is just fine with a topper. The balcony is about the size of a Penthouse. The two-bedrooms have a smaller and larger veranda. Deck 18 is the smaller one and Deck 17 is the larger one. The larger veranda has a very small area that extends in front of the shower. No Two Bedroom Family villa are NOT in the bow of the ship to my knowledge. They are on the sides. On (H2) Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony. There were only two of these puppies on the ship. They are in deed located above the Horizon Observation Lounge. They are indeed located in the front Bow of the ship where the veranda goes around the the side of the ship. I was in one on the Joy for my Anniversary with my adult Children end of 2022. I got this suite by being cancelled many times due to covid, took 125% FCC, had a 20% off coupon which was given after the third cancellation. I LOVED this suite. I even did a YouTube video on it. This was without a doubt the nicest suite I have ever stayed in. It was HUGE, it came with three bottles of spirits and all the mixers one could ever need. When the ship was going at full speed, the balcony was windy for sure. It did not stop us from enjoying it at all. If the wind got to you, you had two choices. You could go around the side which had a wind door and problem solved. You could also go to the balcony connected to the Master Bedroom suite which was completely blocked by the wind. My family is very hard on me because they don't like cruising as I do. I have never had a time where we all were so happy with everything as that 7-day cruise. I enjoyed the experience so much being on the Bow that I just upgraded my upcoming trip on Oceania Cruises to a Vista Suite about the same size as the Owners Suite on the Joy in the same location (Bow) of the ship. We are actually, the deck above the Captains bridge. Cruise well everyone and enjoy every moment.

So, I have a Prestige Unlimited Drink Package. I hesitate to even ask this question because even as I am writing it, it sound stupid. Am I to understand when I order a drink with this package, I will still be paying tax on every drink. Wow, I feel like an idiot asking this. Be kind with your answers. I feel vulnerable today. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Way to go, enjoy it. Lots of room, GREAT bathroom and a TV room with a couch. Have party. It is also steps away from the Haven Bar and Restaurant. Very happy for you. Enjoy. Cruise well and have one of the GREAT Haven Almond Croissant for me!!!!!

@Wombservice Very comfortable. I even like the room. Small yet felt private and had everything one would need. NCL has changed their approach for these two-bedroom family villa on their new ships to have a full sized bed. They have also increased the investment. I think the Escape, Bliss, Encore and Joy do a very nice job with these suites. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Hambagahle So sorry, I misunderstood your first reply. When considering your entire situation, it seems more than fair you indulged a bit to much on the Johnny Walker Black Label. The least you could have done to dull the effect of a very nasty situation. Very nice to hear the Guest Services approach that Regent took for you. I am not sure if you ever had the opportunity to rebook a Grand Suite. That by itself would have been a memorable experience. Thank you for taking the time to respond back. Your thoughts are much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

At $187. That’s too much of a bargain to pass up. Even if you purchase thermal spa on its own. I know you were solo, that room is so nice even I couldn’t pass it up at that number. I just thought I would check in. Please let us all know what happens.