david_sobe

Its not just NCL. There is a HUGE demand for cruises which has increased prices. No matter how high they go people still book. The ICON of the Seas just arrived in Miami and the cheapest interior cabin is $1800 per person!!!!!! You used to be able to book 2 in a balcony cabin for that price. Celebrity just jacked up their solo cruise prices. It gets crazier because the prices are at an all time high yet the cruise lines are cutting back galore. NCL now only has one major show and has went back in time and re-introduced cruise ship entertainment i.e. cruise ship workers. Nothing makes sense in this world anymore because when I see the prices of the houses in my neighborhood are selling for and everyone in new $65k cars, I wonder where everyone is getting this money from. I just booked the most expensive cruise of my life but its not until 2026 which gives me 2 years to pay it off.

Has anyone been in the Epic casino when someone hits big on a slot machine? An Epic casino employee told me many years ago that when it happens the giant chandelier starts flashing. That would be really cool to see.

I can only imagine how wonderful those days were. These cruises are expensive which puts it out of reach for many people which makes cruise lines send their older, smaller ships for these voyages. Unlike the Caribbean, I book a cruise for the ship, not the itinerary. Antartica you don't have a big selection and you surely dont get modern or newer ships. Most passengers sail it for the itinerary only.

Are we there yet?

Yes you can pay per ride at the Galaxy Pavillion. Most do it that way.

Following to find out if Carnival passengers sleep in the observation lounge too 😁

I am the minority opinion but I would sail Epic over Breakaway. Breakaway was the over-correction from the Epic. Yes Breakaway did correct some of the quirks like the split bathrooms, made the walls straight and not curved, added an outside area for restaurants, etc. But IMHO Epic is a superior ship. The venues are bigger and better. Epic got such flack that Breakaway suffers from any innovation and is just a modern basic ship.

I sort of agree. The wood wall behind the beds and dark olive green walls reminds me of the 1970s appliance colors. I saw a video of an owners suite and the walls were dark green and it looked dark and depressing. I get they made the Haven more casual but I am not crazy about the color choice either.

I was watching a cruise video vlog about the Viva and they had a similar experience as you while waiting in line for Syd Normans. They are extremely positive cruisers but were very irked that they stood in line for an hour and watched over 20 people come and cut in line in front of them. I think that is a sad commentary on society today. No one is taught manners anymore. NCL should have staff make sure this does not happen. It sort of reminds me of the ice cream machine at the buffet. There is a line 6 people deep waiting to fill their cones. Suddenly out of nowhere some grabs a cone, cuts the line and gets their ice cream as if the line does not exist.

Really looking forward to this review. I wish you would have come here to get better expectations before boarding. Priority boarding with the Haven does not mean: boarding all Haven guests first or getting you past the security line first. It only means that once your passport and credit card is registered they will escort you through all the lines to get to the ship. You discovered that yes, many will ease on to the ship faster than many Haven guests. It all depends how busy the Haven lounge is. The priority luggage tags is more about making people "feel special" more than anything. I have never discovered being in the Haven means you get your luggage any faster. I am perplexed at some of your choices. The biggest perk of the Haven on embarkation day is sitting down to lunch in the Haven restaurant. What made you go to the MDR? Scrambled eggs in the MDR or buffet is many times not real eggs and some sort of egg beaters. They always have real eggs in the Haven restaurant. They have the best breakfasts there so I am shocked you went to the local for breakfast. I have not been on Prima but I agree with your feelings about the 70s casual dark green colors in the Haven. NCL made the Haven very casual while making other parts of the ship more elegant. I have seen videos of Owners suites on the Prima and the wall colors are so dark and depressing green. The other ships have the opposite. Anyway, looking forward to the rest of the review!

I did not even realize the Prima had 2 Starbucks on board. Yes that was a foolish waste of space. One is enough.

The Star never got great reviews. An Antartica cruise is not a fair judgment of a cruise line. The ships are smaller and its expensive. I am still jealous because I can only dream about sailing to Antartica.

I am not arguing with anyone. I am only stating what factually is in existence. On smaller Jewel class ships there are only a few Haven suites but there are two bedroom suites and Owners suites with additional sleeping arrangements for children or others. When NCL really expanded the Haven with Epic and post Epic they flooded the ships with lots of second bedroom, pull down bunk beds for children. That has been in existence ever since. NCL like all other cruise lines markets to families thus go cart tracks, laser tag, water slides, etc. That is their key target market. The 2 bedroom suites are ideal for families. This is all why there are more kids than ever in the Haven. I have not seen any marketing from NCL that states " come stay in the Haven for peace and quiet and no children." Virgin targets the market for people not wanting to cruise with children not allowing anyone under 18 to board. I am not trying to troll you or argue with you just explaining reality of what the Haven is.

January and February are the best months for the Caribbean. The rates are the cheapest and the kids are in school. However stay clear of President's day week, Valentines Day week, and MLK day week.

Funny but true. Once on Epic we were on an excursion and was looking forward to this diet Pepsi can in the min-fridge. I never take things from the mini-fridge but had made my decision when we got back to the ship I was going to crack it open. When I got to the cabin I was in shock. The diet Pepsi can was gone. I was concerned I was going to be charged for something I did not take. I brought it up to my butler and she told me she removed it because it was past the expiration date. She brought me a can of diet Pepsi with the promise to never tell anyone about it. We did a pinky swear and I kept my mouth shut. I felt so guilty drinking a can of diet Pepsi that I did not pay for or authorized to drink. Its been 13 years and the statute of limitations has expired so I am not free to tell that story. But you are right. What we paid for that suite a can of diet Pepsi was the least they could do. 😬

That is a false premise. NCL built the Haven for families with lots of 2 bedrooms suites with bunk beds for the kids. Its a false assumption that its a kids free zone. The kid's parents paid the same price as the other Haven suites and they have a right to use the pool. I often refer to the Haven pool as the kiddie pool with all the little ones diving for their pool toys. I took one Xmas cruise on Epic and there were 10 kids and teenagers in the Haven hot tub few over 16. NCL cannot stop this since they are paying guests like everyone else. Yes there are other parts of the ship for them to swim but why would they go there when there is a pool outside their cabin? There is a video on youtube that I wont post here because the video is of children but the kids are screaming so loud with the solarium roof closed on the NCL Encore. One reviewer here posted the Horizon Lounge was used for hide and seek. The Haven is like a private resort. Kids do not have separate areas unfortunately. I wish NCL would create areas for children in the Haven so they can keep many other areas kids-free. NCL only restricts one sundeck in the Haven 16+. I think its a myth that NCL ever promoted a "fortress of solitude" as so many claim. I see it the other way........the Haven is a private area for you and your family to enjoy. They don't exclude children at all. They don't and never have promoted it as kids free or a quiet zone. Its just the reality. I watched a Viva review from the Haven with kids being kids running in and out of the sauna and snow room and then jumping in the pool. This is what kids do and the more joy those families and their kids have makes NCL happy. I only sail when kids are in school if I stay in the Haven.

OMG those photos of the smoker's box brought back memories of the Encore. On embarkation day there was an old woman with an oxygen tank in there smoking. I know I know, you are not supposed to smoke near oxygen. I did not stop and investigate but the woman had the plastic nose feed you have for oxygen and a tank next to her. What else could it be? BTW, cigarette smoking is not allowed in the cigar lounge. There was a giant sign prohibiting cigarettes unless they changed it.

Next time while you are on board do a social experiment and ask the concierge how often this happens. When we stay in the Haven we don't know anyone else on the cruise and that is usually the case with others. But then again no one would notice or really care they are paying for something lower quality than a specialty restaurant.

Not really. It still assumes of all the people in the restaurant the one or two non-Haven guests eating with their family are the ones going to be unruly. Its a horrible context and implies non-Haven passengers are savages who cant sit down and eat a quiet dinner. I have stayed in the Haven quite a bit and the loud and entitled ones are usually the ones in the Haven 😲

Wow, that is a crazy assumption that non-Haven guests would be loud and disturb your meal 😉 Its a rarely used procedure that lets a few friends or family visit their Haven friends or family and eat together. They are not allowed to use any of the Haven facilities. If it happens on a cruise I doubt anyone notices and they pay for the experience. While the Haven food is good its not quite up to specialty restaurant quality. So you can laugh at them over paying for the experience.

Really enjoying this cruise. You guys are active excursionists. I never wanted to go to Tortola but a few years ago at Long Bay Beach was my favorite beach excursion I have ever been to. Not a cruise line excursion, just grabbed a cab. Wi-fi, a beach bar, chairs and it was cheap. I cant wait to go back there. You are a more experienced cruiser than me so chances are you have been there before. BTW, the lazy river excursion in the DR is not connected to hike, correct? Or was it connected somehow and I missed it.

Some are confusing the short lived program of letting non-Haven passenger make a reservation for $50 (or whatever it was) and eat at the Haven. That was discontinued. Most times Haven guests can invite non-Haven guests WITH THEM to dine in the Haven restaurant for a fee. Most times its allowed but it depends on the concierge. The concierge on Encore spelled this out to everyone without anyone asking. We were allowed to invite guests to the Haven restaurant TWICE during the week for an additional fee. The guest MUST have a family or friend sailing in the Haven to invite them. The only exception to this was that blogger team several years ago that invited themselves to the Haven and insisted on staying because they had a cruise vlog. Adrian kicked them out but they created such a stink and fuss that NCL gave them dinner at the Haven. So maybe if you become a KAREN and scream and rant can get you access to a Haven 😂

I think NCL may not be thrilled about doing this anymore. First lets rewind time. Remember 15 years ago and it was almost standard with people getting specialty restaurant appetizers for free in the Haven restaurant. They stopped that around 2013. Back in 2010 when I was on the Epic and NCL still had lobster night in the MDR the Haven staff would tell people they could still order lobster from the MDR and have it delivered to the Haven restaurant. Fast forward to more current time. When I was on the Encore in 2020, Onda was sold out and even the concierge could not score a reservation (yet). I asked the concierge if we could have Onda delivered to the Haven restaurant. There were 4 of us and it would be too cramped in the cabin. The concierge looked at me like I had 2 heads and reluctantly said it would have to be ok with the Haven restaurant manager. I could tell this was going to be a problem so I dropped it. A reservation came up at Onda so it became a moot point anyway. My hunch is they really do not like bringing outside food into the Haven restaurant. Its not a great look for them plus its a staffing issue. Once people see one table do it...."Oh look, where did they get those sliders?" Then more tables will start and its a slippery slope. IMHO those were the old days of NCL where they catered to people more. Could this still happen? Yes but they may not be thrilled about it.

Depending on the ship and concierge you can be invited into the Haven restaurant by a guest of the Haven for a charge. When I was on Encore during the Haven introduction and tour the concierge stated we could invite a guest to the Haven for a charge and it could only happen twice during the week. It all depends on the concierge and how crowded the Haven is. Now you just have to find a friend sailing in the Haven to invite you 🤔

NCL charges for room service for coffee and continental breakfasts, correct? I was just watching a rant about it on youtube. Did they not remove coffee makers from inside and balcony cabins too? Things have changed so much that I cant keep up. You can get free coffee in restaurants and the buffet but having it delivered will be a charge, correct?