Haven and Suites, particularly in Alaska, questions

[GoldenRose]

We are planning an Alaska cruise this summer, and I haven't sailed NCL in almost a dozen years. We did not like NCL a dozen years ago, and said never again, but we keep hearing that they take good care of their suite guests. We also want to sail out of Seattle. So NCL made it on our short list. We are looking at the Jewel and the Pearl.

 

If we sail with NCL, we would only sail in a suite. It looks like there are two kinds of suites now, Haven, and regular suites. Is the only difference access to the Haven?

 

Is the Haven courtyard with pool even usable in Alaska? Is the pool heated warm enough to use? Is the area covered? Are kids welcome in the private pool area? How deep is the pool?

 

Do Haven and suite guests get simplified embarkation and debarkation in Seattle?

 

Do they get any sort of reserved seating at shows? Are you pretty much guaranteed any reservations at the specialty restaurants that you want?

 

Oh, and not a haven question. Can our kids eat with us at various specialty restaurants, or if not, is the kids club open through dinner time and able to feed the kids?

[littlelulu01]

We are planning an Alaska cruise this summer, and I haven't sailed NCL in almost a dozen years. We did not like NCL a dozen years ago, and said never again, but we keep hearing that they take good care of their suite guests. We also want to sail out of Seattle. So NCL made it on our short list. We are looking at the Jewel and the Pearl.

 

If we sail with NCL, we would only sail in a suite. It looks like there are two kinds of suites now, Haven, and regular suites. Is the only difference access to the Haven?

 

Is the Haven courtyard with pool even usable in Alaska? Is the pool heated warm enough to use? Is the area covered? Are kids welcome in the private pool area? How deep is the pool?

 

Do Haven and suite guests get simplified embarkation and debarkation in Seattle?

 

Do they get any sort of reserved seating at shows? Are you pretty much guaranteed any reservations at the specialty restaurants that you want?

 

Oh, and not a haven question. Can our kids eat with us at various specialty restaurants, or if not, is the kids club open through dinner time and able to feed the kids?

 

We sailed on the pearl to Alaska two years ago and loved it. My husband previously hated cruises but the haven experience changed his mind.

 

The haven area is like a ship within a ship. The rooms surrounded the courtyard area and the courtyard has a glass ceiling that they open and close depending on weather. So even if it's 36 degrees outside its still toasty warm in the haven. Pool is not that big but big enough for kids to have fun. There's also a hot tub, steam room and some very nice loungers. Google and you can see pics.

 

The concerige is usually around and he can make any reservations you need. They also give you a phone to contact him at any time. He'll make sure you are first off ship in port, escort you aboard at the beginning of the cruise and whisk you to your room within minutes of entering the port area. In Seattle you'll see flags with signs for haven and they pretty much have you sitting down for lunch in a separate dining room within a few minutes.

 

Glacier bay day is incredible. I suggest booking starboard side and then when ship turns you can walk upstairs to the private haven deck on port side when your starboard side is not in view of the glacier. Glacier bay day is also perfect for breakfast delivered to your room by the butler.

 

If you book a suite you still get some perks but not access to the richly decorated haven. The suites are in the regular hallways and so not the same crowdless haven area and private upper deck where no fighting for a chance to see the glaciers calving.

 

I didn't see many kids in the haven area but they have just as much right to be there as anyone. Most of the time I didn see anyone in the haven area. If no one else is in there I assume your kids can let loose but if someone Is napping on a lounger or relaxing in the hot tub I don't think they would appreciate your kids screaming and playing Marco polo. I think the pool is probably 3-4 ft deep. If it's hot they would probably much prefer the bigger pools.

 

The shows have a separate area for haven guests but in Alaska I didn't see any problem with seating for non haven guests.

 

Have fun on your trip. Husband and I had the most relaxing vacation ever in the haven. Daughter and I sailed same season in an inside. We had just as much fun but it was not the same experience. The ship also has a spa, adults only, and if I was in a non Haven room I would definitely take advantage of the spa. Assuming of course your son will probably be very occupied in the kids club.

 

Kids are also able to eat with h adults. I think they have a lot going on in the kids club but if he wants to eat at cagneys he's more than welcome to. He won't need to dress up either. I think it's no shorts or taddy clothing in dining rooms but no need to put him in a suit or dress clothes unless he wants that.

[Iluvcruising2]

We cruise on the NCL Jade in a 2 bedroom penthouse suite (non-haven) and had a great time.

 

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Kids ate with us all the time, be it in Cagney's (speciality restaurant perk for breakfast and lunch), or the Main Dining Room.

 

We had easy embarkation and disembarkation in Rome. Here is the disembarkation letter, together with priority tags.

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[Iluvcruising2]

Other than Cagney's, we only ate at one other speciality restaurant (which was the Jasmine Garden) and kids were welcomed.

 

I believe it should be the same for the other restaurants. Kids would be welcomed.

[GORDONCHICK]

The pool in The Haven is tiny, but I don't know how deep it is.

 

Modern is the restaurant now being used for suites guests' breakfast and lunch on the Jewel. The concierge usually circulates through several times at each meal, touching base with guests.

 

As far as feeding children when you want dinner to be adults only - you can take them to the buffet. They can get what they want and it's pretty speedy - and right next to the Kid's Club.

[GoldenRose]

Thanks for the info!

 

The Haven looks really beautiful in the pictures. I have no idea what a reasonable price for a Haven suite is on an Alaska cruise is. We only decided to take this trip this week, so I have just started to price compare. I know the current promo of $300 room credit, plus drink packages, plus specialty dining package looks enticing, but I sort of wonder how much they raised the prices to offer the promo. Does anyone know if the prices and promos right now are particularly good or bad?

[littlelulu01]

I haven't been tracking prices for Alaska, but if anything like our upcoming Europe trip: I booked about a year ago and only saw prices rise. The sale that started last week with kids sale half off or free is the first actual price drop I've seen for our cruise to Mediterranean.i canceled and rebooked with the special and still saved about $100 off my price paid a year ago. In addition I now have the perks of the obc and ubp which I did not have when I originally booked so in my case this is the lowest I've seen. Alaska may be different though. You can always cancel and rebook before final payment or if after final payment they may give you some additional obc or an upgrade if available if prices drop but that's not a guarantee. I booked through big box warehouse that has a travel agency. If you are a member there, which most people are, hint it starts with a c and ends in o, They seem to be the least expensive. Our haven booking was several hundred less and when I called around to ta's that ony book cruises no one has ever beaten c.....'s prices. Their cruise insurance is also considerably lower and better than NCLs. I think suites and haven rooms have a earlier final paying so you may be approaching it already.

[littlelulu01]

Another idea might be looking at holland America. It's typically an older crowd but summer in Alaska probably has quite a few kids. Not sure how kids club compares- I have no experience with either but the HA ship we sailed on last year had the main pool area that was available to everyone and it also had the retractable roof, nice padded loungers etc without need to have a suite or haven.

 

The food was a little better on HA, entertainment and service better on NCL but those are subjective opinions. The HA ship had nice teak loungers on promenade deck too and lots of outdoor cosy areas without blaring music so really no need to have the haven to escape to. The pearl to Alaska is not going to be a big party barge. Both times we sailed her it was nice normal families, extended families.

[SuiteTraveler]

GoldenRose,

I checked the prices on a 2 bedroom The Haven Suite and they are very typical with what we have paid for The Haven in the past. The Sept 19 on the Jewel is an especially good deal as it is end of season and this is a longer cruise - 10 days. Alaska cruises are cheaper at start of season ( but you may be more limited on where the ship can go as it has not thawed out enough yet ) and at the end of the season - when kids are back in school. The prices are higher during the summer holidays when kids are out of school. Some online cruise travel agencies are even less expensive than NCL and throw in all kinds of perks. All it takes is a little searching to find the best price.

 

BTW, one additional perk about being in The Haven in Alaska is that they actually have blackout drapes and of course, the second bedroom is an inside, a definite bonus when the cruise in Alaska is during months where the sun is doesn't set until 11:30 or midnight.

[travelmatron]

Holland America is a fine cruise line, but I've sailed in suites on HAL and a Haven Suite on the Jewel. With kids, a 2 bedroom/2bathroom Haven Suite would win hands down. The only suite perk on HAL that isn't available on NCL is free laundry.

[amarvel]

Thanks for the info!

 

The Haven looks really beautiful in the pictures. I have no idea what a reasonable price for a Haven suite is on an Alaska cruise is. We only decided to take this trip this week, so I have just started to price compare. I know the current promo of $300 room credit, plus drink packages, plus specialty dining package looks enticing, but I sort of wonder how much they raised the prices to offer the promo. Does anyone know if the prices and promos right now are particularly good or bad?

 

the prices right now (or over the last few weeks) with the discounts is the best price ive noticed since last july. We booked last june and then rebooked under a KSF in July and since then its been going up pretty steady. This is a good promo in that sense. But the price is higher this time then it was last July.

 

We cruised in 2013 on the jewel in a 2 bedroom non haven suite and this time upgraded to the haven. we loved our suite, but we wanted another place to relax that was close to our room and honestly the price was so cheap for 6 of us that it was almost too good of a deal to not try out the haven. i cant wait to compare the two experiences.

 

However we felt very happy with our suite experience the last time and were well taken care of even though we were not in the haven.

[littlelulu01]

Holland America is a fine cruise line, but I've sailed in suites on HAL and a Haven Suite on the Jewel. With kids, a 2 bedroom/2bathroom Haven Suite would win hands down. The only suite perk on HAL that isn't available on NCL is free laundry.

 

I totally agree- they don't even come remotely close. If not in a suite though the pool area on the HAL is very nice, was not too crowded and could still be used in Alaska due to sliding cover like they have in the Haven on NCL. We were on the Zuiderdam and the pools, promenade and outdoor areas did remind me more of a Haven type area. Much nicer deck furnishings than public areas of the Pearl. If $ were not an obstacle I would sail in the Haven any day. The spa on the Pearl put the HAL spa to shame. If entertainment was also a factor I would choose the Pearl as well.

[GoldenRose]

I've put a hold on a Haven 2 bedroom suite for the Jewel, since it looks like the Jewel has Nickelodeon activities that the Pearl does not. I know our daughter would like anything Dora related. (Not as much as she likes anything Disney princess related, but we're doing a Disney cruise next December, and she won't see Alaska if she spends the entire cruise in the kids club the way she wants to on DCL.)

 

We're in the category of needing to sail while the kids are out of school right now. The school our son was at until this year didn't care, and we used to pull him out a couple of weeks a year to travel. (We've been very frustrated this year about our inability to pull him out for travel this year.)

 

We're definitely restricted to between the first week of June and mid August, and right now we're looking at July since our son already has trips planned in both June and August. His trips planned with grandparents are the reason we were originally thinking we wouldn't do Alaska until next year.

 

I hadn't thought about booking through a travel agent, or a certain bigbox store beginning in c... we are members, I just always book my own travel so I can control my own reservation. What do you get if you book through them?

[littlelulu01]

You can go to their website and they will give you a price online. You just need to enter your member number to see NCL prices. Calling usually gets me a much better price. You may qualify for a latitudes discount, group booking or other perks they don't have listed. There have been so many changes to to NCL perks the last couple weeks that big perks have not been showing on their website the last few days or even some room categories but when you call they'll be able to quote you. They used to say there was a booking change fee but that's no longer the case. It was super easy for me to monitor prices on their website and when they had a price drop last weekend during the crazy sale they were able to get through to NCL and change my booking. People on these boards were reporting being on hold with NCL for hours only to be disconnected. C will have the same room availability that NCL has. If ksf or half off is offered on ncl the ta will also have it. I think you also get the 1% back on the executive membership and if you have their Amex you get that bonus too.

Edited February 9, 2015 by littlelulu01

[SuiteTraveler]

What do you get if you book through them?

 

Based on what I saw last night and have experienced in the past, as much as, $1000 more off a The Haven 2 bedroom compared to the home site and also all the perks (dining, beverage, OBC) and an additional cruise cash bonus (OBC) above and beyond what NCL is giving as OBC. Sometimes they give you a voucher for a free pre-cruise hotel, which you may or may not want. Sometimes they give you a travel coupon book which may or may not be of any interest. For me, I like the extra OBC for the cruise.

[Pikaia]

Feeding kids:

 

Yes, you can either take them to the restaurant or feed them at the buffet. Alternatively, you can have the butler bring dinner for the kids to the cabin before you drop them off at Splash Academy.

 

Also, Splash Academy does close for mealtimes on sea days. Usually it's open on port days, but sometimes there's a nominal charge in effect because the staff take the kids to eat at the buffet.

[Leavethekidswithmom]

honestly the price was so cheap for 6 of us that it was almost too good of a deal to not try out the haven. i cant wait to compare the two experiences.

 

However we felt very happy with our suite experience the last time and were well taken care of even though we were not in the haven.

 

You are talking about the Garden Villa, Right? I would hope you are not going to try to cram 6 in a H4!:eek:

[amarvel]

You are talking about the Garden Villa, Right? I would hope you are not going to try to cram 6 in a H4!:eek:

Nope the h4. We've already done it in 2013 and loved it. we travel a lot and are use to traveling all together and in rooms with less space :) and 2 of the 6 are children :)

[JohnIreland]

Is the Haven courtyard with pool even usable in Alaska? Is the pool heated warm enough to use? Is the area covered? Are kids welcome in the private pool area? How deep is the pool?

 

 

Yes, yes , yes , yes and about 4/5 feet.