Haven perks

[dam64]

This will be our very first Haven experience! Tell me all about it :D

[3DBeach]

Which ship will you be on?

We were on the Epic and LOVED the Haven. Had an amazing butler, concierge and cabin steward. Loved not waiting on line to see shows, concierge met us at the box office and escorted us to reserved seats.

[johnsak123]

Was on the Gem and I loved being in the Haven because of its semi seclusion from the masses

Believe it or not I love to sail but not a fan of large crowds

There are always lounge chairs to relax on and the upper private haven sun deck is great.

Unfortunately this trip the winds were quite bad for most of the days and difficult to relax on top but laying in the courtyard by the pool was heaven in the haven lol

You will definitely enjoy it.

[Tinabina]

I also just upgrade to a Haven spa cabin for my honeymoon on the Breakaway. I am so excited, I want more details!

 

 

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[seguincruiser]

We booked our very first NCL cruise for Oct 2015 and splurged for a 2 bedroom Haven suite. Would love to follow this thread on the perks.

[maja651]

Below are my reasons that I love the Haven. They detail some of the perks that we love the most. :) They are based on the Epic, so they would be similar for the "AWAY" ships.

 

1. Nothing like priority boarding and getting escorted onto the ship directly to the Haven to have lunch in the Haven restaurant first thing and not deal with the crowds. It is a VERY nice perk.

 

2. Breakfast in bed....anything you want, the butler will bring it.

 

3. Romantic dinner in the suite...or private family dinner in the suite, again anything you want. Served on white tablecloth by the butler. Want lobster but don't want to deal with the crowds to get it on lobster night? No problem! Call the butler and eat in your suite.

 

4. Priority seating at the shows. This was especially nice on the Epic. We would meet up at the concierge desk 50 minutes prior to the show, be escorted down the back elevators and private hallways right into the show. No lines, first in the theater to pick where ever you want to sit.

 

5. Priority access off the ship in Nassau. Just meet at the concierge desk and get escorted off the ship before the masses. We were the first 2 people off the ship on our Epic cruise last April. If you book a provate excursion, or want to get a head start to Atlantis or whatever you may do in Nassau, this is a huge perk.

 

6. Private Haven sun deck and pool, hot tubs. On the Epic, we absolutely loved Posh. We spent most sea days up there. While the main pool area as a zoo with people arguing over saved chairs, etc. we never had a problem getting a nice comfy chair in Posh and enjoyed the day. The AWAY ships have Vibe, but it is not included for suite passengers. BUT, they have the private Haven sundeck that will serve the same purpose. That should take a lot of stress off of you if you are someone who wants to lounge outside during the sea days.

 

8. Fresh flowers, sparkling wine in your suite when you board. It is a NICE start!

 

9. Like chocolate coverd strawberries? Well, you can get then every day if you want. Just tell the butler you love them, and he will bring them.

 

10. Tired and hungry after a long port day? Just tell the butler you would like snacks or small sandwiches, whatever you want, waiting for you when you re board. They will be there waiting for you.

 

11. Need an iron? Call the butler. Our butler Leo on the Epic was so good he figured out our pattern by day 3 and called US every day around the time we asked for the iron asking if we needed it that day. We loved Leo.

 

12. Speaking of butlers, if you get a good one, they will figure you out quickly and things want will just appear. Seriously, the good ones are THAT good. Now, you have to tip them separately, but you will be happy to do so. :D

 

13. Concierge- this is one perk we used pretty much only for the priority entering of the shows, debarking, etc. Those services turned out to be huge in the overall non stress experience, so we tipped accordingly. As Adrian, the concierge in the Epic said.."I don't do lines", and let me tell you, you won't either if concierge is good.

 

Bottom line, if you want to sail on a mega ship, without dealing with the lines of a mega ship, the Haven suites make it a wonderful experience!

[2girls2]

My first Epic Haven experience too!! DH & daughters won't find out until we get to the port! So excited, but have to hide it for now.

[keichman]

Another question...what is the dress for the Haven Restaurant. I've heard that breakfast/lunch are pretty casual (even shorts?), but haven't read/heard anything about dinner. What is required? And what is typically seen?

[garnet115]

My first Epic Haven experience too!! DH & daughters won't find out until we get to the port! So excited, but have to hide it for now.

 

I am keeping my Breakaway Haven cabin a secret from my dd and don't plan on telling her until we arrive either. The look on her face will be priceless. But I am having a hard time not telling because I wish I could share in the fun of thinking about it with her.

[rinakop]

The Haven is heaven! We did the family 2 bedroom villa on the Gem in 2011 & it was one of the best vacations we ever had! Everything about the Haven makes it worth every penny! There are so many posts about the Haven and I love the pre-concierge service.

[tymike]

I say "All of the Above"! I've been in the Haven on the Gem and the Breakaway and in a PH suite on the Dawn. The personalized service on the smaller ships absolutely can't be beat. Our concierge on the Dawn (Anoop) was truly outstanding....seemingly everywhere for and with us! He even found my lost glasses. On the Breakaway, the concierge is less able to physically be most anywhere except the Haven Concierge Desk, but she was very helpful in solving an excursion problem and the like. Our butler on the Breakaway was simply stunning! She did everything from bringing breakfast for eight (!) to our suite (yes...all Haven passengers!;) ) to magically providing the snacks we loved most.

 

My favorite perk? Probably the lack of having to wait for almost anything. Whether it's reservations at the time you want, to embarkation/disembarkation, seats at shows, or having room service it just seems so much more seamless.

 

I've only used the Haven Complex once for real (i.e. the pool etc.) but the availability of Cagney's and the Haven restaurant was perfect for us! I'm afraid to say it, but it's the suite life for me for any cruises in my future...and I have two booked...both in the Haven!!!:D

 

Enjoy!

[runnersmate]

Another question...what is the dress for the Haven Restaurant. I've heard that breakfast/lunch are pretty casual (even shorts?), but haven't read/heard anything about dinner. What is required? And what is typically seen?

 

It varies, we have been in there in shorts (after a long day on the Europe routes) and dressed for dinner. Make friends (tip well) with the maitre d' - we have even asked for special items such as escargot (ahead of time) and been well take care of. We leave again next week for our third 2bdrm stint on the Epic and are ready!

[happy cruzin]

Below are my reasons that I love the Haven. They detail some of the perks that we love the most. :) They are based on the Epic, so they would be similar for the "AWAY" ships.

 

1. Nothing like priority boarding and getting escorted onto the ship directly to the Haven to have lunch in the Haven restaurant first thing and not deal with the crowds. It is a VERY nice perk.

 

2. Breakfast in bed....anything you want, the butler will bring it.

 

3. Romantic dinner in the suite...or private family dinner in the suite, again anything you want. Served on white tablecloth by the butler. Want lobster but don't want to deal with the crowds to get it on lobster night? No problem! Call the butler and eat in your suite.

 

4. Priority seating at the shows. This was especially nice on the Epic. We would meet up at the concierge desk 50 minutes prior to the show, be escorted down the back elevators and private hallways right into the show. No lines, first in the theater to pick where ever you want to sit.

 

5. Priority access off the ship in Nassau. Just meet at the concierge desk and get escorted off the ship before the masses. We were the first 2 people off the ship on our Epic cruise last April. If you book a provate excursion, or want to get a head start to Atlantis or whatever you may do in Nassau, this is a huge perk.

 

6. Private Haven sun deck and pool, hot tubs. On the Epic, we absolutely loved Posh. We spent most sea days up there. While the main pool area as a zoo with people arguing over saved chairs, etc. we never had a problem getting a nice comfy chair in Posh and enjoyed the day. The AWAY ships have Vibe, but it is not included for suite passengers. BUT, they have the private Haven sundeck that will serve the same purpose. That should take a lot of stress off of you if you are someone who wants to lounge outside during the sea days.

 

8. Fresh flowers, sparkling wine in your suite when you board. It is a NICE start!

 

9. Like chocolate coverd strawberries? Well, you can get then every day if you want. Just tell the butler you love them, and he will bring them.

 

10. Tired and hungry after a long port day? Just tell the butler you would like snacks or small sandwiches, whatever you want, waiting for you when you re board. They will be there waiting for you.

 

11. Need an iron? Call the butler. Our butler Leo on the Epic was so good he figured out our pattern by day 3 and called US every day around the time we asked for the iron asking if we needed it that day. We loved Leo.

 

12. Speaking of butlers, if you get a good one, they will figure you out quickly and things want will just appear. Seriously, the good ones are THAT good. Now, you have to tip them separately, but you will be happy to do so. :D

 

13. Concierge- this is one perk we used pretty much only for the priority entering of the shows, debarking, etc. Those services turned out to be huge in the overall non stress experience, so we tipped accordingly. As Adrian, the concierge in the Epic said.."I don't do lines", and let me tell you, you won't either if concierge is good.

 

Bottom line, if you want to sail on a mega ship, without dealing with the lines of a mega ship, the Haven suites make it a wonderful experience!

 

I think that's a great list of the Haven "perks" and you are 100% correct about the "good" Butler. On the Breakaway DH mentioned how much he enjoyed that the chocolate chip cookies that the Butler had delivered for one of the afternoon snacks. From then on we had a HUGE plate that "appeared" every day! ;)

 

Sadly - VIBE is not included with the suite perks on the Breakaway like POSH was on the Epic. We also found the Haven area to be significantly smaller on the Breakaway. Still quite nice - but definitely scaled back from the space that was available on the Epic and it appears to be the same on the Getaway from the photos I've seen.

 

We LOVE the Haven and the services provided. It is truly a special way to cruise. :D