knscruiser322

It was more of waiting around for the check in process to start along with just relaxing in the lounge area for Haven guests. Once check in starts, it was a breeze to go through security, head to Haven line to get keycards and then to the lounge. Surprisingly waiting around in the Haven lounge area wasn't too bad and time went by pretty quick. Yea, I saw that RCCL had more ships out of the ports down in Florida. Its very limited here in NY/NJ. They seem to rotate Anthem and Liberty in NJ. We checked out the MSC Yacht Club, as much as it looks enticing, I can't do too much of the formal dress code. Definitely not on vacation. I want to add to this that you may or may not spend a lot of time on your balcony. I had the Haven Penthouse suite outside of the Haven proper and we had the bigger balcony that came with a lounger. We honestly didn't even utilize it that much. You may be better off keeping it as is as the lounger does take up alot of space if you don't have the larger balcony.

Nice review as I literally just came back this Sunday off the NCL Joy in the Haven. First Haven experience as well and first time on the NCL Joy as well so it was great as firsts for both. The Mrs. loved the Haven and wanted to try another cruise line with similar amenities and I recall reading about MSC's Yacht Club and the prices were better than what NCL charges. We have only cruised with NCL (3) times so would love to try another cruise line with similar amenities.

On another note. What are the similar "Haven" equivalents on the other cruise lines? I know MSC has the Yacht Club, how about Royal Caribbean. The Mrs. wants to try other cruise lines if we were to cruise again. And she can't cruise non Haven anymore after this one. Preferably ones where they leave from NYC/NJ area. I thought about Virgin cruises, but she's not a big fan of flying out to other ports to cruise.

I believe they allowed the guests in the Haven proper to drop off their bags as I saw a lot of Haven guests with their on luggage. I was outside the Haven proper and we didn't need our luggage at any time soon. It didn't take long for the luggage to come either. Definitely before dinner time.

It definitely was not right after the security check. After security, we were greeted by I'm guessing NCL workers who checked our documents to see where we should head to. For Haven she directed me straight down which I'm not sure if its technically the "end" of the terminal but its definitely not too close. If there are any mobility issues even slightly, I 100% suggest a wheelchair to be used. I saw a couple of Haven guests who requested wheelchairs at the terminal so I don't believe it would be a big issue. After we receive our keycards on the very short Haven line down the hall, we were directed to the lounge area where we had coffee, tea, pastries, sandwiches, etc. It definitely is nothing compared to the Miami lounge noted above, but I myself have nothing to compare it to since this was my first Haven experience. I would say that for NYC standards, this wasn't too shabby. They could have just gave us a room to sit in, lol, but they had NCL workers refilling everything in that lounge and accommodating the guests so it was okay in my opinion.

I'll chime in on this one since I just returned back from one. I put both of them on. The ones printed from the E-Docs do not show PRIORITY on them. Only the sticker ones that are mailed to you. I noticed having priority or not on them made no difference in when I received my luggage.

Morning fellow CCer's. Just got back yesterday from my first Haven experience on the Joy going to Bermuda from NYC. I'll try to keep my review short (lol) but detailed for those who have questions. This was a cruise with the Mrs. We decided to arrive at the terminal around 9AM. Dropped luggage off at the porter and saw early cruisers like us already there waiting. The wait was only about 15-20 minutes before they opened up check-in and I have to say it was GREAT to be in the Haven line. The non Haven line was piling up and getting ridiculous. We were 2nd in the Haven line. Breezed through check-in, got our keycards, etc. and then waited in the lounge. Had light refreshments and snacks. A bit later the ships Concierge, Mr. "X", he liked to be called came in and greeted us and told us once the ship clears we'd be the first group to board the ship. We boarded the ship around 11:20AM as it seems there were a lot of people leaving the ship last minute. Once we started boarding, we were greeted by the NCL Haven staff, butlers were assisting escorting groups up to the Horizon Lounge. The Haven Bar was already prepping drinks for everyone who was being escorted up to the lounge. We didn't stay in the lounge for long. Once you were escorted into the lounge you can just explore the ship. We decided to have lunch at the Haven restaurant. A quick review on the Haven restaurant overall for all (3) meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Dessert). The hostess that greeted us pretty much every meal was Marivic. She always tried to seat us at the same table at all (3) meals with the view. It was nice to come into the restaurant every time and not have to show your keycard or have them ask for your name. Another great service we noticed in the Haven. Everyone tries their best to make the experience exclusive for Haven guests. Our best meals at the Haven were at breakfast. Lunch was just OKAY, and dinner I have to say was nothing out of the ordinary. Yes we have access to great cuts of meat and lobster, but one thing I noticed consistently and my wife as well is there is NOT enough seasoning in certain dishes. My wife tried a surf & turf the first night and the filet was definitely not seasoned enough. Cooked great but not enough flavor. I had the prime rib and I also noticed the flavor wasn't there. I do have to say that the Garden Cafe Prime Rib is DEFINITELY better than the one in the Haven. I noticed the Garden Cafe Prime Rib still maintained the same consistency in flavor and texture similar to my last cruise on the Escape almost 3-4 years ago! Throughout the length of the cruise, we pretty much tried every item on the menu at the Haven. And consistently the dinner menu was again nothing amazing. Breakfast was always consistent and great. At lunch, (2) items always got my wife's approval and it was the Seafood Fritto Misto and the Mushroom Flatbread. I do want to note that the Haven at least cooks the NY Strip Steak better than the filet. Flavor was definitely better than the filet. I did try the "OMG" cheesecake mid week for dinner and all I have to say is "LOL". I'm from NYC and I know a good cheesecake when I taste it. Wife agreed and said there was no cheesecake taste and it tasted more like cake texture than that of a cheesecake. Also want to note that the French Press Coffee was one of the best cups of coffee I had on the cruise, next to the ones in the Horizon lounge. I believe both use the same type of beans. I'm going to fast forward my review and keep the parts much shorter now. The sundeck and courtyard were great areas to stay in. Although we didn't have a chance to go into the pool or hot tubs, we do recommend that it is a great amenity in the Haven compared to the crazy stuff happening on the general pool deck. I wanted to check out the hot tubs in the sundeck but it was HOT and I mean HOT up there from the beaming sun. We had our fair share of water fun at Horseshoe Bay on port day so that made up for everything. The Horizon Lounge was the best place to relax, read a book, grab a quick snack or just admire the view. @Sthrngary, I had a couple of Almond Croissant's just for you. Was the best snack in the morning with a nice cup of coffee. My wife enjoyed the nice mini tarts they had there. Haven rooms were available pretty early. I believe the ones in the Haven Proper were ready after 1PM and I do recall ours being ready after 2PM, might have been sooner, didn't keep track. Our stateroom was nice and roomy. We stayed on deck 14, outside of the Haven proper. We had a Haven Penthouse Suite. Wife enjoyed the spacious balcony, although we didn't frequent it much. She definitely loved the walk in closet space and she loved the robes and the crisp bedsheets, lol. Our butler was Jayson. He was very attentive and I did present him with the butler letter in a seal envelope with his gratuity. I didn't expect I would utilize our butler that much on the cruise, but towards a few days in, we did request more room service and he did frequently bring more snacks etc. in for us. He was a great conversationalist and always kids around with both of us. At the last sea day of the cruise, I gave him an additional tip sealed in an envelope with a small note thanking him. Our room steward was Royal. Although I didn't see him much, he cleaned our room promptly and was spotless. He greeted us each time if we did run into him, but I can see how much busier they are now managing much more rooms and cleaning Haven rooms twice a day. I also gave our steward a tip on the last sea day in a sealed envelope with a note thanking him for his hard work. Although we didn't utilize the concierge at all, the team lead by Mr. "X" seemed to be keeping up with Haven standards. I want to note that we did not tip the concierge team. Nothing against the team but we honestly didn't utilize the team at all. And most of the time we never see Mr. "X" at all. I always see only the assistants on the team. I am not a big drinker so I didn't utilize the Haven bar as much as most guests did. I did however tip the bartender on the first day for (2) drinks. Since this was a Haven review, I am not going to note any Bermuda references except that Horseshoe Bay was amazing. As the cruise comes to an end, we arrived back pretty early in NYC. The ship definitely docked at around 6AM I would say. We self carried our luggage off the ship and was the first group off the ship since Haven has priority debarking as well. We were off the ship at around 7:30AM and settled back into our normal routine quickly. I want to wrap up this review with a couple of things I noted while cruising in the Haven. I noticed a lot of guests who stayed in the Haven only limited themselves to the Haven. I'm talking literally staying in either the lounge or courtyard and probably sundeck. We also noticed that a lot of the guests who stayed in the Haven had certain "personalities" if you would call it. The "I am better than you" personality. We didn't limit ourselves to the Haven at all, in fact most of our time was always in the Atrium similar to our last Escape cruise as we always like to see what is always happening around the ship. The Haven exclusivity and perks are definitely a plus, but we both didn't understand why some guests stuck to the mindset of "Ship within a ship" and not leave the Haven. I felt like the fun part was exploring the ship and discovering something new. We found out that there were fist fights in the general pool area over lounge chairs! My wife said cruising in the Haven definitely changed our way of cruising. Once you go Haven you never go back as a lot of noted. Thanks again to @Sthrngary for providing this amazing thread of information and everyone else as well who contributed. Sorry for the long winded review!

I was watching the Port Camera earlier to catch any pier runners! Have a safe trip back to NY!

Quick question regarding drinks. Can I order a custom drink from the Haven bar that I saw on the menu at the Local? I like to drink my occasional Mudslide when I'm on a cruise. I'm guessing yes since the Haven seems to accommodate a lot of requests, but wanted to confirm. Also didn't see if anyone answered my question on the priority of getting on/off ships at ports like Bermuda. Thanks again!

Hi again! Do Haven guests have priority getting on/off at ports? Like Bermuda?

Thanks both! While I don't think we'll need to use the laundry service, its good to know that it is available and pretty good for Haven.

I saw another thread about laundry service and wondered how is the laundry service on NCL? specifically the Joy. And where can I find the prices for them? Is there something in the cabin that I can see the prices for?

Check out this thread by our resident Haven specialist: Long thread, but worth the read.

I'm wondering if there would be any vendors during the Harbour Nights that would sell fish sandwiches as well since this is a local favorite it seems. I might just pass by Woody's and see how the wait for one is since I think we're going to the Gibb's (sp?) Lighthouse and I believe its on the way.

Wife read it on either TripAdvisor or Yelp. One of those or both. Complaints were really 45 minute wait for a sandwich and the staff was pretty rude to tourists. I get the tourist part since I'm from NYC and tourists do annoy the crap out of me, but 45 minutes for a sandwich? I don't want to try it that bad. Art Mel's on the other hand had great reviews. I guess cause it isn't a sit down shop, the wait isn't too long. It's just getting to it is a hassle.