david_sobe

He really was. I used to read about him all the time on this board. So I had high expectations when he was our concierge on Getaway in 2015. He exceeded those high expectations. I am glad he is well. I wish they could clone him and make him the concierge on every ship.

I am the same way. I drove my wife crazy on cruises because everything was planned. We sailed with Spanish speaking relatives once and I "over planned." I told the pre-cruise concierge to have a Spanish speaking butler and have the dailies delivered both in English and Spanish. Well sure enough everything was delivered in Spanish. Lesson learned. It was foolish for me with dumb special requests. How do you really know what pillows you want unless you try them. I don't even ask them to empty the fridge anymore because most times it does not get done. You have to let your cruise come and roll with the punches. Don't even get me started with the threads about giving their butler written lists. We never like the treats delivered each day (except for the chocolate of course) and once I tried to stop them to not waste food. It never worked and I just ended up frustrated. I have learned my lesson. Less is more!

My tips for the Haven would be the same for any cruise. Don't over plan! I think because of the excitement booking the Haven and the pre-concierge makes people over plan. I was one of them once. Details about pillows, your lounger on the balcony, and your fridge can all be worked out when you are on board. Your butler does not need advanced lists for a cruise that is happening months in advance. I have always pre-booked shows and restaurants online but even those can be handled by the concierge once on board. IMHO that is what makes it a luxury vacation. You can relax and not worry about anything until you get on board. I see way too many threads here of people over planning their Haven cruise. I've been there and done that. It always leads to more frustration because half of the stuff never gets done and must get sorted out on embarkation day. So my biggest "tip" would be is CHILL. Sit back and enjoy the cruise 😘

They love the ship. They are usually fairly positive about everything. They just gave honest opinions on a few venues. But where they are negative is a fairly common complaint already on NCL ships. I loved the Encore. It was a luxury vacation from start to finish. But even me loving the ship, I could see several venues were far too small for the crowds they attract.

BTW This is great video. NCL Viva walkthrough

I was watching a very detailed review of the ship last night. She is so modern and beautiful. It would not even feel like a cruise ship to me. I suppose I would have to be on her to feel that. So disappointed at how small all the venues are. 50 seats in a comedy club is a joke on a ship that sails 3500. Why does NCL keep making these mega ships with tiny venues. I have no problem with a race car track. I did it on Encore. But 3 decks is way too much space. The Haven is so nice and big but seems blah and like any other part of the ship. In fact any other restaurant looks nicer than the Haven restaurant. Too many shops and it looks like a mall. Indulge Food Hall cant even fit all the guests. Usually I get so excited to see new ships debut and want to sail them. I have mixed feelings and not thrilled what I see. It just seems so cold and sterile.

I've eaten lunch at the Food Republic on Encore. They were open on sea days.

The ice cream bar menu is in the picture. We were impressed with the size and the cost was very reasonable like what you would pay at Dairy Queen. The ingredients were really good too. However, I heard it all got yanked due to lack of sales. People were not interested in paying a few bucks for a sundae when they could get something much smaller and inferior at the buffet. If my memory is correct this ice cream menu only lasted about a year at O'Sheehans.

The good 'ole days when you could buy fantastic sundaes at O'Sheehans early 2015

Wow this is a scary situation. Thank you for being so upfront and honest. What a dilemma. Covid is so contagious that they should have at least put you in isolation. It spreads so easy and sure enough there was more of it on the ship. Not sure I understand any of this. Not the smartest thing to do with their passengers. But I think they are afraid of seeing covid quarantined ships again.

I have never known of a NCL brunch. But when I watch Carnival cruising videos, those Sea Day Brunches look incredible. OMG so much food and so much variety of both breakfast and lunch options.

When the ship was built in the O'Sheehan era, The Getway was built as the Miami ship to sail the Carribean. Breakway had a roof because it was sailing from NYC. Sure enough, those plans did not last long and they started moving ships around.

Exactly. The Getaway is my least favorite Haven on NCL ships. Its an afterthought. The Haven restaurant is so small with very few windows to see outside. The Haven sundeck is not that great either and has no water features. It did get better on Escape and on Encore the Haven is so huge and luxurious.

Your children are free to be anywhere in the Haven except some ships have a special sundeck for adults only. Children use the Haven pool all the time. NCL prides itself on family suites. There will be other children in the Haven too.

NO TOENAIL CLIPPINGS EVER

NCL's Golden Ticket program: $49.99 per cabin Ensures your cabin to be ready by 2:00pm on embarkation day. Allows special access to the breakfast buffet for special hours until 10:15. A special table area will be roped off and available with key swipe. Guests will also receive a special pair of NCL toenail clippers and tweezers for picking up those extras that fell on to the rug. A gratuity will be added to your account for your convenience.

But was a bottle of water left in the mini fridge? I will withhold judgment until I know further.

Cabins ready by 4:30 Breakfast buffet over by 9:30 The things I learned on CC today

Ok here is something that will make your head spin. Back in 2010 when NCL was still having a "lobster night" it was not a feature on the Haven menu. I remember the waitress in the Haven restaurant (Epic) tell us that if we wanted lobster they would bring us a plate. Let that sink in for a moment. The Haven staff was offering MDR lobster plates that was not on the Haven menu.

A port intensive cruise would have no consideration for the Haven in my book. There are Haven perks for such a cruise. Staying on the ship or getting back early and hungry? The Haven restaurant is OPEN. While all other dining options are closed except for the buffet and The Local, The Haven restaurant stays open on port days. Getting up early to make that extra early excursion? No problem. Have your butler deliver breakfast to your cabin or walk down the hall to the Haven restaurant for a quick bite. Running late for that excursion? Have the concierge escort you off the ship on the freight elevators. Having issues booking an excursion? Let the concierge try and get you in. This thread is based on the glass is half empty. Flip the script and look at the glass half full. A port intensive cruise is all the reason to book a Haven cabin.

I remember that. And they would bring more of them if you wanted.

Sometimes it works though. The other thread about the closed Observation Lounge had everyone fired up. Sure enough the poster had an about face when NCL provided some sort of compensation. I think the difference is the closure of the lounge was a NCL decision which they fell on the sword and indirectly admitted how foolish they were. This accident had nothing to do with NCL although I saw all the people on the news yelling "The cruise lines are not doing anything." I am not sure what they could do since the Coast Guard had them shut down. It would be a miserable experience but only the reckless boat people to blame. I live in Miami and drunken boaters racing in in the pre-dawn hours crashing on the rocks or into other boats is fairly common here. If you recall the Marlins star pitcher was killed at the same location a few years ago. They were all drunk racing into the channel and crashed on the rocks. How anyone does not see a car ferry is beyond me. I suspect alcohol could have played a role since it usually does with boat accidents at this location.

Every cruise is different even if its the same ship. My first cruise was meh. I did not get the cruise bug until my second cruise. A lousy embarkation can really set the tone for your cruise. Those demons need to be exorcised out of you once you sail. In some countries or even US Ports there are many things that can create a bad embarkation. Sometimes the cruise line is not to blame. Itineraries change all the time so those two issues are not really the fault of NCL. All of your other criticisms and praise are fair game. Wherever you sail next I hope its the best cruise ever!

NCL will be eliminating many shows and bringing back Fountains. Its no cost for NCL since the performers are already ship workers. However instead of a cast of 8, it will be reduced to a cast of 2. To save on water, empty pitchers of air will be used instead. Passengers will be forced to use their imagination. All for your convenience of course. 🤩

I doubt the shower head ever gets cleaned every cruise. I clean my bathroom and shower constantly and probably clean the shower head once a year. Those are hard water stains and they dont come off with cleaning. You need a hard water professional formula. That is yet another odd thing to say was not clean especially with no photos. Dont get me wrong there are plenty of times someone posts photos of dirty rooms. Unacceptable. But even in my wildest imaginations I cant visualize how bad these few complaints can be. However, the solution is a simple phone call and pronto they would clean the room again or talk to the steward that night. Hardly the cause of a 165 post thread on CC. Dirty rooms should never be accepted. Yet these gripes seem to not rise to that level IMHO.