Sthrngary

@estvil30 You just supported one of the Secrets of the Haven. If we show the staff some respect and appreciation. If we give them a heads up and ask vs. demand. They are likely to do almost anything we want. I was in the Haven Dining room one evening. A group of six were demanding food cooked special that was not included on the menu. The treated the staff with a huge level of disrespect. My nature is to go over to the table, introduce myself and share how the program works. I fight that part of my personality because nothing ever good comes from it especially on vacation. On this situation, I did have a plan. I waited to see the father who was at the table at the Haven Bar one night. I strategically sat next to him. I engaged him and ordered one of the Famous Haven Bar "Smoking Manhattans". He loved the show and asked me how I knew they could and would do that. There was my opening. I told him I studied the Haven, what they do and don't do, how to get somethings special from time to time. He did what I thought he would do, he started to complain about his issue with the Haven Restaurant. I corrected him, he accepted the correction because he brought it up, not me. The next day he waved me over to his table and thanked me. That took a lot of work on my part. I call it taking the high road. I would do it again in a heart beat. I thought you would like that story. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mearsfansinboise "Hoity-toity", LOL. The Haven menu never changes. For some, that is an issue. It is nice you can order, with advanced notice, items from the Main Dining Room Menu or have your butler bring it. I want to add. in 2019 the small, round chocolate cake served in the Haven was different. Back then, I was obsessed over it. In November 2021, I had the opportunity to have it again. It was NOT the same. I was disappointed. UNTIL, I went back on the Joy three months later, when to Cagney's for dinner and had the slice of Chocolate Cake. There it was, the taste I missed. Just looked different. I TRIED to get a slice from Cagney's to bring back to my room, more than willing to pay for it, on a recent trip on the NCL Breakaway. They said NO. I was again disappointed. I had a craving for more CAKE. I am so bad. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Hello my Precious. Daddy has missed you at breakfast. We will meet again very soon. LOL.

@gmbhardy Thank you for asking. First know, I was on the Joy with my family November 2021 in the H2 Deluxe Owners Suite. I followed this up in March 2022, solo in the Club Balcony Suite. The Club Balcony was when I had the Vibe. I also just did the NCL Breakaway, in a Club Balcony Suite and had a Vibe Cabana. Your question is why did I like the Vibe on the Joy. The Joy was originally designed to be for Asian clients. That did not work out for NCL and they did a Drydock to make it more for the tastes of American's. This makes the Joy different from other NCL ship her sized like the Breakaway. The Joy Vibe Beach Club was both sides with hot tubs on both sides. It was double the size of the Breakaway Vibe. The bar on the joy, both sides were only for the Vibe. The Bar on the Breakaway had one side for the Vibe and the other side for other guest not in the Vibe. I liked the Joy Vibe better because of having double the space. I cannot control the uncontrollable like weather or Camaraderie. My opinion is simply the size and attributes. The Vibe on the Joy, in my humble opinion was much better than the Haven Sundeck which was always crowded. Hope all that makes sense. Cruise well and enjoy Have Lite.

Most good credit cards have travel insurance. Like the example given, it is limited. When dealing with insurance it is a personal risk tolerance that matters. Credit cards help us pay with plastic, not insurance experts. Cruise lines help us with cruises, not insurance experts. Insurance companies can book a cruise for us, however the can be the experts we need in travel insurance. Remember it is personal, based on your needs and risks. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The Confusion in selecting Cruise Travel Insurance. Like any insurance purchase, the more the premium, the more coverage you receive. When I go online to purchase my coverage, I think what my priorities will be. For Example: Medicare Participants: I have Medicare Advantage. This health insurance does not cover me when out of the United States. I absolutely need Health Coverage. Cancel At Any Time: This coverage seems to be the highest of premiums like collision coverage on a car. There are restictions and at best, it USUALLY only covers 50% of my coverage amount. Example, If i say the cruise and other travel will cost me $12,000.00. That is what my premium is based on. So, if I have to cancel, I can get back REAL LOSES of up to $6,000.00 on the fares. This was one of my two actual claims in the past two years. Levels or Amounts of Coverage: Things like lost bags, transportation if your flight misses ship, transportation for if you are sick and need airlift. All are spelled out and the higher the amount provided, the higher the premium. I find it easy to look at the policies side by side and determine what my risk vs. premium tolerance is. The first time I purchased Travel Insurance, I did it through American Express Travel. The reason was I wanted to talk to a real human being. Each time after, I just did it online. There are benefits of booking this Insurance at time of deposit. It eliminates "Pre-Existing Conditions" where these may, the key word is may, cause an issue at purchasing at final payment. I however purchase at Final Payment if, and again the word is if, I may cancel the sailing. Once you purchase the Travel Insurance, you have 30 days to cancel it for full refund. After that, you usually own it even if you cancel your cruise. NOTE: This may differ from policy to policy. This is referencing cancel of the Insurance policy not the cruise. Remember, no loss, no payment of claim. I hope my experience as a consumer helps understanding cruise Travel Insurance Better. My advice is read the fine print, avoid purchasing from the Cruise Line because they are not as clear as an actual insurance company in their explanations, and if the premium is really low, Double check you are getting all the coverage you need. Cruise well and enjoy every moment

Have a GREAT time. Both are truly lovely. I am booked in November for 10 days in the Mediterranean on another brand. I truly hope we cruise together. Would be fun. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@RocketMan275 A night of drinking on me, on our next cruise together. Cruise well and friends help friends have sweet things.

@SGCruiser2013 Have a wonderful time. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ChiefMateJRK Thank you, I had no idea. Love reading everyone's posts. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Cruise5life The last four cruises we used Allianz Global Assistance. They give you several choices with options. Pick and choose which suits you best. On the last four cruise, I had a claim on two of the three. Worth every penny. Hope that hapes. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ashkay16 I am so happy you took the time to ask this question. If you would have asked the question 5 years ago I would have answered it differently than today. I look at buying Cruise Travel Insurance in the same category as whether to buy the cruise lines airfare and excursions. In all three cases there are Pro's and Con's. I will keep my answer to the topic of cruise insurance. I never purchased cruise insurance until three years ago. I would say, "I am just going to toss the dice." Then for what ever reason, I purchased cruise insurance from an online insurance company. That cruise I used it to the toon of $4,000.00. My wife got covid 8 days before the cruise and we had to cancel the cruise. Am I glad I purchased this coverage. The communication with the Travel Insurance Company and added coverage with my American Express Platinum card was seamless. Now, I am sure my recommendation to always buy travel insurance is confirmed. On to should we buy it from NCL or a Cruise Brand or from an Insurance Company. I check the prices and they are similar for the same coverages. Then I read reviews which indicated it was much easer to put in a claim when you went directly with the insurance company then ANY cruise brand which sends you to the Insurance Company anyway. My real issue was the details. I found the answers to my questions much more clear with the Insurance Companies than the cruise brands. My conclusion was, cruse brands are the best at cruises. Not Airfare, not excursions, and not at travel insurance. Book our own flight, look at the best rated excursions companies that guarantee you back on the ship on time, and book your travel insurance directly with a travel insurance company. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Amen Brother. Cruse well and enjoy every moment.

My experience was not seeing any classes on the SS Norway. Now Cunard or Queen Mary maybe but those were to rich for my bleed at the time. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Allow me to answer this. Not at all. What I am saying is most folks attempt to use the NCL Bid program to upgrade their stateroom from INSIDE to Balcony. If the space is available, it usually is a total bargain. Studio's have a different policy because it is usually for solo travelers. I in no way am suggesting that an inside cabin is bad. I have had many over the years. I am suggesting lots of folks end up with a balcony. Hope that makes sense and sorry for any misrepresentation. Not my intent. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PATRLR I understand your comment. For my wife and I, it depends on the brand, level of suite chosen (VIP Area's) and amenities. I call what you are referring to as "Personalized Service". Making me feel like a rock star. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ORV You are killing me. Excellent food and Eggs Benedict for breakfast. I am having dry toast with a black coffee trying to lose enough weight to go on my cruise, LOL. Embrace being treated like a rock star. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Cruzinnana47 Funny story, I could not afford a proper honeymoon so we waited a year. I booked the SS Norway and did not tell my new wife. I wait until the Tuesday before the cruise. She knew we were vacationing but not where. I did not tell her because she would have said NO! I would have heard "I have no Clothes", "I need to loose weight", and of course "We can't afford it." So I did it with out discussing it. She was really upset. She cried for four days and did not talk to me. The first words out of her mouth was on the bus ride from the Miami Airport to the Port when she saw the ship. As you remember, the SS Norway was the largest Cruise Ship sailing at the time. The first words I heard was, "Wow, that is a big ship." That first night, at the Late Seating, we meet 10 new friends at our huge round table for dinner. They were Texas Oil Millionaires. One guy put so much pepper on his food it changed colors. I have not thought of him for decades. That evening, my new bride and I danced on the deck. She whispered in my ear, "This is the best vacation of my life." I said back to her, "Honey, this is the only vacation either one of us had in our lives." We went on the the Norway four more times, had over 26 cruise over 44 years of marriage. Our last family cruise was with our adult children on the NCL Joy, H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite and it was fabulous. Boy have things changed over the years and yes I do miss some of the formality in the past. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@vacation44 LOL, I thought I was the only one. Love it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@vacation44 I could not agree more. I think the term is Haven Lite and it is just great. One more thing about the Joy. It has the best Vibe Beach Club of any NCL ship I have ever been on. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Jordan61 I am an early riser as well. My routine was, get up quietly, go the Haven Horizon Observation Lounge, make myself a Cappuccino, get one of the pastries for me to sneak. Then make a plate and bring two coffee's back to the suite with more pastries. Please don't tell my wife, she gets made when I have to many sweet things. I could not help myself, LOL. Funny story, when I cruise the NCL Joy the second time because I love the ship, I did it solo because I got a deal, $800.00 for a Club Balcony Suite. One of my Haven friend felt bad for me. He was doing the Haven because of the article I wrote and had pity on me. He brought me two every day and he was an early riser as well. Life changing. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Azulann Thank you for taking the time and posting. I have considered Viking as well. Your comments make it in the top five for my next cruise opportunity. Thank you again for taking the time to help us all. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you @Two Wheels Only for reposting this op-ed. @ajtraveler66 I am the op-ed for the article. In addition and to your question, I was in the NCL Joy Haven with my family of five in November and December of 2021. I also cruise the Joy again, in March 2022 as a first time solo cruiser. As @Two Wheels Only said, this is the revised article on the Haven updated in 2022 per the members of Cruise Critic request. The op-ed answers most of your question about the Haven to an obsessed amount. The specific question about the Haven on the NCL Joy I can shed some light on. You can ask me anything. However I will say, I purposely did my cruise on a week that was not a holiday. To be exact, the week after thanksgiving. I did this because there was less families onboard with very young children. NCL is a real deal of sort with there special of 3 & 4 person free. This brings lots of families on days like holidays. I knew, my family mainly of adults would like it better with less young kids. Not no kids, just less kids. That was my reasoning and it worked out nicely. Again, ask me anything and I will be completely transparent. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@PirateShark Please take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. I am new to Oceania and I am on a Oceania Riviera Cruise on November 9, 2023. I also was very interest in the two types of dining options. I go onto my account by logging in. Going to Manage Your Booking. Under the Dining Tab I have three options. Specialty Restaurants La Reserve Privee Under La Reserve I can book three options: Odyssey Menu La Cuisine Bourgeoise Dom Perignon Experience I attempted to book one as a test. On all three there is one night each is available when you click the person in your group wants to attend, it then puts the dollar amount in your cart. I have not done final payment as of yet, FYI. I don't know if that helps you but thought I would share. I did book some cooking classes already so I know the cart will work. Again, I am in no way an expert. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Good point. My first cruise was on the SS Norway. It had a fire and stop sailing. True story. It also was the largest cruise ship on the sea at the time. The cost was $500.00 per person. Same as you, no air, no drink package, internet did not exist, you gave your gratuities on the last day in cash and it was so grand. The Baked Alaska was kind of average and I always felt bad for our waiters. The always seem to roll their eyes. Still a great memory. Cruise well and enjoy every moment/memory.