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@CruizinSusan70 You are new to Cruise Critic and by default new to this NCL blog on Cruise Critic. Welcome. When I and other pay 3 to 4 times as more for a stateroom on a sailing, there are perks. It seems early entry to Syd’s is one. Early boarding, Early exiting, prioritized reservations for specialty restaurants, private sun deck, private pool, suites only dining, reserved seats at the big shows, butlers, private bar, special line for go carts, afternoon snacks, specialty coffees, and many, many more. In addition, a Haven guest has full access to the rest of the ship. They paid a hefty premium for these and other benefits. Celebrity does the same with the Retreat. MSC does the same with the Y Club. All fares are about the same comparison. If this makes you uncomfortable, stay in the Haven, live with the fact people pay for the privilege or cruise another brand. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. Enjoy your flag ship sailing.

@CruizinSusan70 LOL, the Haven Guests are not Prima-Donna's. But I can see how some folks might think that. These Guest pay a premium to have essentially the same cruise as those in an Inside Cabin. There are all kinds of perks. Since there are only about 180 to 200 Haven Guest I don't think they will take up to much room. Now so everyone knows I am not jealous of this little perk which I just found out about. I will be on the Breakaway, December 2022. It has a Syd's. I am not in the Haven (YET). If I am, I will by all means take advantage of this, if not, I will enjoy those that have the opportunity. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This is great information. Thank you for the clarification. This is something most everyone in the Haven should know about. Thank you again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Juncti That you for the call out. I want to address this question personally. In all my travels in the Haven, I have never been given early access to the Cavern Club, Comedy Venue to this venue early. I have read were lots of folks were given this luxury but it was never me. I have been offered an escort to the main shows which I never took. I know the sets for the Haven there are left of stage. I want to apologize to everyone that thought this was a policy of the Haven. If I ever gave you that impression, it was incorrect. All that said, would I ask in the future. Yes I will. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This question is asked all the time. The Haven Beds do not separate. Your choice for bid upgrade need to consider a two bedroom family villa but remember it's bed is, lets say, needs a mattress topper. The other alternative is a Penthouse with a couch that turns into a bed. I don't know why it is this way be not the best for friends traveling together. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@cruiseny4life Thank you for the comment. My wife and I are doing Haven Lite in December on the NCL Breakaway. It will be her first time doing Haven Lite. I spoil her because she puts up with me. For those that love the Haven as I do, you would think not being in the Haven would make for a less satisfying cruise. You would be wrong. It takes some work but the Haven Lite Strategy has merit. Will some things be different, of course. Yet different can sometimes be nice. Allow me to explain just a few things. Upgrade Bid to Haven: I will always do an upgrade bid to the Haven when on a full Haven ship. I have five bids for different suite currently. I expect not to win because I bid low and the Haven shows sold out 40 days prior to the cruise. That does not stop me from bidding though. I also have a bid on the Club Suite Spa cabin which is also sold out. All of this is part of the Haven Lite approach. Sundeck: When in the Haven, the Haven Sundeck is a huge positive to me and my lovely bride. Yet it is much more of a positive on the "Plus" ships. They have huge hot tubs on the Haven Sundeck unlike the Getaway and the Breakaway which just have the sundeck. When we cruise the smaller ships like those, the Vibe Beach Club is simply a better experience all around especially since the have hot tubs, better staffing and a full bar. This trip, I got a Cabana for my bride. Free At Sea PLUS Program: When you are not paying the premium for the Haven, you can have the luxury of putting far less money into your vacation opening up other area's for potential spending. The Free At Sea Plus Program was a welcome surprise. It made complete sense to the way my wife and I like to cruise. We are not fans of the Buffet or the MDR. So we have a seven day cruise with five Specialty Meals. The fifth one is a perk from American Express Platinum. We will still do a few nights at the MDR or one of the other complementary dining venues. As a complement, my breakfasts at the MDR have always been great. Excursions: We have gone on most all of the excursions on a Caribbean cruise. None of them have been fabulous so we tend to not book them. The only ones that have been memorable were the Over the Water Bungalow, and the Beach villa's on the Private Island. This trip, we did not even book them. We will rent a golf cart of shooter instead and make our own excursing. Full disclosure. I will miss most the Haven Restaurant. I literally can eat Prime Rib and Lobster every night. Steak and Eggs every morning. But what I will miss most are those almond croissants only available in the Haven. Because I have written so much about the Haven, many of those that know when I am on board but not in the Haven will show me mercy by bringing one out to me when I have coffee at Starbucks. I refuse to go into the Haven Proper when I did not pay for the opportunity. The only exceptions in day one to say hello to many of my friends with the Haven Staff Permission. Cruise well everyone and enjoy every moment.

No clue. I called, it was added to my account and increased my final payment. You did it online, I did it via phone. That seems to be the only difference. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I don’t remember. Please ask and tell us. I always have the Premium Plus Beverage Package. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

It was added to my final payment. Simple and I did not have to pay up front. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@cntryboy83 It was my pleasure. Now that you tried the Almond Crusted Croissant, time for your next assignment. Go to the Haven Bar, ask them to make a "Smoking" drink. Have your video camara's ready. It is an event. A good strategy is to wait for the bar to be just a little less crowded. Get a seat, then call everyone in the lounge to join the show. It is amazing. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Butler_NCL_Cruises_Template.docx Here you go. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

The notion of should I or should I not book airlines with the cruise line is a question for the ages. Every month on different cruise brands the question comes up. The answer is pretty simple if you truly understand cruise lines, brands and the industry. Cruise lines look for the cheapest most inconvenient way to get you from home to the port. Direct flights are more expensive then changing planes. Just try to book the same flight yourself and you will see. What attracts us all to at least looking at cruise line flights are the special promotions. Second passenger has free airfare promotions are what happened most recently. The more a guest cruise, the more lessons are learned. I learned decade ago, to never book air with the cruise line. I did once which is all it takes for most people. I had to take red-eye. The plane was delayed and got to the port airport really late. I was the last guest and they were pulling up the gangway as we got to the port. They had every intention to leave without us. I was completely stressed, my wife in tears. I said that day, this is NEVER going yo happen again. Now, over 20 cruises later, I always and I mean always get to the port the day before. If I can't, I simply don't book the cruise, period. That is the result of this one situation. Can it cost a bit more, yes. Is it worth it, absolutely. Side note, I am going on a different brand next year to the Mediterranean on a 10 days cruise. My friends are talking the airfare, my wife and I are not gaining a discount of $1,000.00 per person. Add to this, I booked through the Cruise Brand the pre-cruise hotel. My friends refused to do this which means for this very expensive cruise, they are coming in the morning of the cruise. I told them the risk and he refused to consider the Pre-Hotel option. He said, the cruise line will hold the ship since he booked the airfare with them. He is an idiot. Cruise ship hold the ship for no one. Hope this wordy post makes sense to most whom read it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you for the shout out. Many folks hate the letter and tip concept. I have had only great results. Glad it started out well. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@HuliHuli If I had used a travel agent, I would agree with you. My next trip had to be booked with NCL Casino's At Sea. My wife won the Slot Tournament on the Joy in December 2021 so she has an entry into the "Winner Take All $100,000.00' slot finals. So I called NCL, went to the NCL Haven Pre-Cruise person even though this cruise I was not in the Haven. She handle it in less then five minutes. Normally, I would call my agent, Staci and she would get it done for me. So for not being clear. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Just call NCL. I only had the P+DP also and they upgraded to the Free at Sea Plus for a few extra dollars. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank you to all that participated in the Blog Stream. A favor. If you are currently on an NCL ship, with the Premium Plus Beverage Package, can you share your current experience. Everyone that reviews this blog wants up to the day experiences. Do they have the spirits or wines you were hoping for? Did something change for the positive or negative? Any and all live feedback would be much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Todd: To the best of my ability and all the research that I have done; you and your second guest will have five meals. Two with the original Free at Sea; two with the Free at Sea PLUS and one for Platinum. Your third person seems to have paid for the Premium Plus Beverage package not the Free at Sea PLUS. I am not sure if that is what you wanted. Simple fix. Call NCL, talk to one of them and ask them what is going on. The worst thing they can say is you have to talk to your travel agent. I always call NCL first because when I call my Travel Agent, it takes for ever to get my answers. Sorry I could not be more help. The one thing I can say is I have a 3 & 4 guest. My adult Children. The Free at Sea PLUS was not available at the time. I had three specialty meals which was Free at Sea that gave me two and one for American Express Platinum. I purchased each of my children a four meal package. On the meal My wife and I did not have a package for, we went to the Asian place which gave those with the meal package lots of small plates. My wife and I added a couple and paid a really small fee. Lost of ways to work it our once you find out the deal. I know you said you did not want to waste any meals. On NCL, unless I am in the Haven, I would always prefer one or the other specialty restaurants. Last cruise I did solo, I ate at Cagney's four times. Every time it was something different. Except of course for the desert which was always the chocolate cake, LOL. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@graphicguy As you kind of know, If I had the means and the choice I would do the Haven every time. I am also on the Breakaway, December 4, 2022, in a Club Balcony Suite (MA). The only Haven Suite left is of course the Haven Spa Suite. I have bid on it but it will be gone well before they clear bids. My bid is on the low side because I loaded up my (MA) experience with "Free At Sea PLUS", Vibe Cabana, Unlimited streaming internet, and a total of 5 Specialty Restaurants over the 7 day cruise. My plan if I clear, which again, based on my history is slim and none; to cancel the Vibe to lesson the cost difference. The Haven is the best however when you do "Haven Lite" is it pretty close. I would not blame you for paying the price as long as you are comfortable with it. If you do, can you smuggle me out a few Almond Danishes. They are only served in the Haven. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@smeck The mere fact that you are willing to ask the questions shows you are a great guest. As indicated in previous responses to your question, dress code is very casual. Have I heard complaints about the way people dress yes. I want to give you some examples: Haven Bar on the Getaway: The bar is right next to the Haven Pool. A woman in a bathing suit went to the bar to get a drink. I heard some folks saying how that was simply not right. I completely disagree. It is by the pool, the woman wanted a drink, no server came out. Haven Restaurant at Dinner: Regardless of what people say, there is a difference between Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Dinner is never formal. It is always country club casual. Yet I have seen folks come to dinner in bathing suits. It did not effect my meal but I did think that could have shown a bit more concern to the other guests. No crew member wants to say anything because that could effect their status if they got a bad survey. The General Rule is to consider what you would were to a Nice Steakhouse at home. Again, Dinner only; Lunch and Breakfast are super casual if you like. Everyone wants to just chill out on a cruise. The Haven is a slight bit more formal but definitely not over the top. The bottle line is read all the responses and use good business judgement. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

There is always an exception to the rule but for the most cases, all by the glass wines are included. Some spirits by the glass like Louis is not. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MCARAB1 Moderno is all about the meat as I am sure you know. The quality of meat sometimes is in question. However, Cagney's with all its choices for me is a much better meat solution and I feel like the service is better. Please remember, restaurants are subjective and just because I feel one way does not mean all do. Le Bristo is a lovely experiences. The menu for me is hit or miss. I most always go for the Lamb chops. With that I am rarely disappointed. My family joined me on the last cruise and this place was not to their liking. Oceans Blue is nice and if you don't like fish, has some meat options. Nice alternative to Moderno in my opinion. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@EllieinNJ Many credit cards have perks and benefits when used for travel especially cruises. If the card is no longer with a specific bank, the benefits that card provided might and key word might be lost. I would call NCL, replace card now to get full benefits from the card. An example is my American Express Platinum provides a certain level of health/accident insurance and Perks for the brand. But I have to pay for everything with the same card. I am trying to make sure you get all you deserve. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Homeport5 One of the nicest times I had on a Celebrity Cruise Ship was in the Michaels bar. When you were in a suite, at the time it was the "Celebrity Suite"; you had assess to this relatively small private lounge. Full bar, very quiet, with view of the ocean. Daily had snacks to have with your drink. For what ever reason, this was "My Place". I found the same quiet place in the Haven Horizon Observation Lounge yet it had no bar. No issue to me, I got a drink from the Haven bar and walked the very short walk to Horizon. Another lovely place for quiet luxury was the Haven Library which was part of my morning routine. All cruises have issues that we all may not like. The art of cruising is to go with the flow. There is always an strategy to make every situation work out. Sometimes it is outside the box and sometimes it is right under your nose. As important as a nice adult beverage is to me when cruising and it is important; it is but one aspect of my overall experience. A credit has to go to NCL for making their Haven Bar the place most people want to hangout. It has a certain classy flavor to it I must say. Glad I had that experience so many time. Really can make a trip. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Hello folks. Yes I have experienced full bar seating at the Haven on every Haven Cruise I have been on. Yes it seems to be the same people every night. Like a crew. The issue is not those folks at the bar. The issue is the size of the bar and the number of the stools. You will notice NCL has taken focus on this issue and Haven bars in the future will be expanded. To the folks at the bars all the time. You are not a chair hog. Chair Hogs reserve a seat all day long and never show up. You just like sitting at the bar and when a seat becomes available you take it. Then the only time you leave is to us the rest room and if you fall off your stool, LOL. My approach with a filled bar is to make everyone laugh and get invited to the group. Would it be nice to let other have a seat, sure. Would it matter, nope. The next person will do what you are doing, enjoying the conversation and atmosphere. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.