graphicguy

Once Upon a Time in Mexico..... Haven't seen that in a long time. I think I know what I'm doing tonite. 😉

I'm not a big "lobster guy". But, I had surf and turf 2 separate nights on my last Haven (Prima) cruise. We went out of Galveston. So, not sure where they got their lobsters, but they were quite good.

I enjoy the Haven Menu. The ONLY two things I DON'T like on it are the Beets and Broccolini.

Yeah....I found out the hard way, too. The airlines and port are pretty strict on the qualifications. While not 2 minutes, I had a flight on my last Alaska cruise that departed at 10:55 a.m. Pleaded, whined, etc...no luck.

Lots of people brought their cowboy hats on this cruise. 🤠 (Although I’m guessing some are all hat, no cattle.) Stealing this. This describes ½ the population of the area I live....boots and buckles, too. Lots of pickup trucks with no scratches in the bed, and pop music blaring out their windows that is masquerading as country music.

As far as luggage, one of the nice things about sailing in the Haven is they usually let me drop my luggage off in the cabin, even though the cabin may not be ready, yet. That beats hauling it around the ship. Hard side, soft side luggage. I use both. The key is to pack only carry ons. I use a back pack and roll aboard. It took me a while to get my GF to do that, too. But, once she did, she understands and appreciates not having to haul around a big piece of luggage before and after boarding the ships and planes. I do like some of the "internet brands" like AWAY. But, from my business travel days, it's hard to beat TravelPro. Just get something with strong zippers and strong wheels. Those are the break points.

I share my online moniker and my real name at the M&Gs. A lot of folks I've sailed with post often here. So, they know me (does anybody really know anyone else? Sorry, feeling existential today) when we finally meet....and vice versa. I will say, every person I've met on board that I've chatted with here have all been wonderful people.

I'm amazed at how one person can have a bad experience, like the OP, and another can have a great experience on the same exact cruise, like @OrcaGirl. OP, if you get a chance, take a look at her live review and see where the differences are. While I know this was 6 months ago, I did a Mediterranean sailing on the Epic. It was clean and in good shape, then. So, not sure what happened in the interim. But, to answer your questions....Somewhere there will be a listing of the Director of Housekeeping and the Director of Food and Beverage. Their contact numbers might be listed in the Daily. But, if not, Customer Service will give you their number. Two separate depts....so one is not likely to help with the other. Contact them both separately about your concerns in their specific depts. Let the Housekeeping Director know where and what you saw as far is the ship being dirty. That will allow them to address it. Let the Food and Beverage Director know which food was inedible and where you were when dining. They will address that particular venue(s). I do know steak that's well done can be tough. But, chicken that's overcooked can be tough, too. Personally, I don't like their pizza, and you do. So, it's a subjective topic. Telling the Cruise Next desk you don't like the food is sort of like telling the Captain the weather's bad. While both are true, neither and do a thing about it. While I get in trouble for this, I'll put this as delicately as I can. If there was a person who was rude to you, find out who they report to. Tell that person your concerns and what exactly happened. But, gratuities, for some unknown reason to me, seem to be more of a hot bed issue across all cruise lines. Just a general "I don't like the food (or as you put it, "it's inedible") really won't net much as far as some sort of rectification. Same goes for a broad and general statement like "the ship is dirty". Tell the Director WHERE it was dirty and when you observed it. I guarantee you they'll do their best to fix it. Tell the Directors in the Depts you chat with that you'd like to reduce the gratuities for the specific reasons you can outline with them. We can't help you since we're not on the ship, nor do any of us have any sway with NCL (at least I don't).

So, if Bliss has 80 Haven Cabins, let's say there are 2 guests/cabin with an extra allowance for those in suites that have more space. 160 guests minimum or let's say 250 maximum. Bliss is a BIG ship. I've sailed her. Love the ship. I can't imagine the Haven Lounge/Bar area or the Haven Restaurant totally filling up. Not everyone is eating or drinking or hanging out at the same time in the same space. Don't think you'll have any issues. I have had never had any issues with finding space in any Haven I've ever sailed in.

Now THIS sounds fantastic. What a great adventure.

I tend to like Breakaway and Breakaway + ships....more amenities...lots to do, etc. But, I am itching to sail the Spirit. It looks fabulous since the refurb based on the pictures I've seen.

Haven't checked that Latitudes cruise fares lately, but even with the discount, it really wasn't a good deal. Great ship and great itinerary, though. Fares are a bit surprising given it's the end of season for Alaska. I would have thought they'd be way less.

Pretty hard to miss that ribbon. Nice find!

The GEM has one of my favorite cabins on ANY ship....the Aft Suite. Priced just a little higher than a balcony cabin but way less than the Haven but with nearly all the same amenities. Still, looking forward to the Joy. I've heard nothing but good with regard to sailing her.

A big bag of cash😂 In all reality, I think I got a plate of chocolate covered strawberries! Not something I particularly like, but the thought was nice!

I'm debating about whether to do a live review. Not sure, yet. I looked at the GEM cruise, too. I love the GEM. But, I had never sailed the Joy previously. So, that tilted it to the Joy. Would love to hear your impressions of the GEM, too!

June 16th!

Thanks! Looking forward to this. Will sail her in June!

I use these.....they wrap around the handles of my luggage. Can't remember the cost. I think around $11-$12 on Amazon for 4 or 5 of them...all different scenes.

Jewel CLASS have small Haven areas with no specific Haven Bars or Restaurants...just a small pool/lounge area. I don't know how many Haven specific cabins are available on the Jewel Class, but it can't be many. To my knowledge, Spirit Class has NO Havens. Haven started with the Epic, which has a sizable Haven area with a Bar and Restaurant (sailed it in October '23). It's quite nice since they just refurbished it. Probably the Breakaway/Getaway have the smallest Haven Bar and Restaurant. Sailed in both, multiple times. Never had an issue getting a seat in either the Lounge (where the bar is) or the Restaurant area. The one you and I sailed, Prima, was sizable, too. It was a circular bar. I never had an issue getting a seat at the bar, nor the restaurant. All of the above sailed full. So, there really isn't a stock answer to the question "how many Haven guests will I be sailing with?" The size of the Haven and amount of Haven Guests depends on the ship. Looking forward to the Haven in the Joy, which I have scheduled next in June. That has its own Observation Lounge area. That should be fun. The only times in the last few years I sailed on ships that were not full, were right after the COVID start up, but both were on the Celebrity Edge and Apex, respectively.

The cruise the OP has inquired about hasn't embarked yet.

There are days I DON'T WANT TO BE ME. I can't imagine anyone else would want to. 😉

Oh, that's funny. Similar thing happened to me on my last cruise in the Haven on the Prima. A couple of days into the cruise, I was sitting at the bar at the local grabbing a burger. Guy sitting next to me started small talk. We started talking about the number of cruises we took, the ships we had sailed, etc. I asked him if he was active cruise critic as it seemed he had cruised a lot on NCL. He said he said he posted on cruise critic as "graphicguy" and that he was "well known". I was kind of stunned. At first, I thought..."is it possible there is more than one 'graphicguy' who posts on Cruise Critic? But, they don't allow duplicate user names. I played along. I told him I had heard of him and had seen his posts. I continued on that he seemed like a nice guy and I enjoyed seeing him on cruise critic. I started drilling down a little further asking the ships he'd sailed, questions about his "wife" and the cabin he was sailing. He fumbled along saying there were "so many that he couldn't remember all of them". I asked if he was sailing with anyone else. He said his "wife" was on the ship with him and she was "hanging around" somewhere else (I'm not married and was sailing solo). I asked about his cabin...again, he fumbled around saying his wife had booked it and he thought they were in one with a "porthole" (I was in the Haven and was posting about it live). I was going to call him out on it. But, just got a chuckle to see if I'd run into him again with his wife. Never saw him again. Funny thing is, he never once asked about who I was, who I posted as on Cruise Critic, who I was on the cruise with, or the cabin I was sailing in. Probably best he didn't know. Mystery man imposter, if you're out there reading this, just know the real "graphicguy" is much more charismatic and funnier than you are.

Sailed in Haven 9 times….Some more than once on the same ship. Getaway, Breakaway, Epic, Prima! Sailed in Spa Haven to a 2BR Haven Suite. Each Haven has a different layout…Epic is different than Breakaway which is different than Prima! Some are bigger than others. So, each holds a different amount of people. Prima Haven is bigger than the Getaway, but it also has more Haven Cabins and holds more people! The Haven Bar is not just the bar area, there is an entire area with couches and chairs. The Haven Bar in the Prima is a circular bar. The Haven Bar in the Breakaway is more like a straight bar. In brief, they are different. And, it’s not just a Haven Bar, but an entire Haven Bar area with bar seats, padded chairs and couches. I have never seen the Haven Bar area totally full, even on sold out cruises. Generally speaking, the Haven sells out first among all the cabin types! In short, there’s no specific answer to how many people are in the Haven. Too many variables!

The link I posted above states this... *Participating airlines and departure times vary by ships sailing out of Seattle. *Domestic and International flights are accepted with the exception of Delta Air Lines. Delta Air Lines only allows for domestic flights only. *Enroll in the service online up until the evening of the 1st day of your cruise at 4:00 PM. Any enrollments made after this time will not be accepted. However, after this time, you can sign up onboard. *This service is free for all passengers flying out of Seattle and is generously provided by the Port of Seattle for all cruise passengers on flights leaving after 11 AM on disembarkation day and before 1:30 AM the following day. *Airline-assessed baggage fees will be applied to your onboard account when applicable as per your airline's rules.