Is the Haven on the Breakaway worth the cost??

[tmilak]

IMHO I am going to do a wait and see on NCL. I have 4 haven cruises booked over the next 20 months. I am not happy with all of the cutbacks of late and will see on my next cruise in November. If I feel the quality and cutbacks are excessive I will cancel the remaining 3 Haven bookings and just go elsewhere. Sure everyone can say NCL doesn't care but if you don't take care of your valued customer eventually it will bite you in the A** and that is what is unfortunately happening today. Cruising unfortunately seems to be going the same direction of the airline industry and we all know how much fun it is to fly nowadays.

[baflagg]

We cruised in the courtyard H5 this past April after upgrading from a balcony room and loved it. Being school vacation week it was nice to have the quiet space to go back to and relax.

 

The problem is now we are looking to book a cruise on the Breakaway for next summer and want to sail in the Haven again but the price of a H5 is just over $10,000 where as a mid-ship balcony is @ $5,000. As nice as the Haven is, I really can't justify paying that amount for a week when we could take two cruises for the same price.

 

I think we will either hold off and keep watching prices or just book the balcony and if it make sense as the cruise gets closer then upgrade to the Haven.

 

Regardless of what we decide I know we will have a great time

Edited September 22, 2016 by baflagg

[Heytoots]

DH and I are going to Bermuda on the BA on Oct 2. We were orginially in a spa balcony, then we went to a spa mini suite which came in at a little over 3K.

Two days ago, we were offered a Haven Spa Suite for $500 more pp. We took it, because we really enjoy the Haven on the Gem, this will be a first for us, having never been on the BA or a fan or gigantic ships. The last price we received though, we called the upsell dept for. We had received an e-mail offering a Haven Spa suite for $750 pp more. That was a no...We too our chances, made the call and were lucky. Can't wait to see what it's like!!!

[dreadnot]

It seems to come down to would you rather pay less ,get nickel and dimed to death and complain , or pay more and go first class. IMHO , cruising has gone too much into assembly line , big ship ,treat them like cattle and so what . Cruising twenty years ago was more bang for the buck, better service ,better dining room food. If you still want that , then you go Celebrity Aqua Spa . Princess Suite Plus . or the next level, Haven or Yacht Club. Now that it is just my wife and me instead of the whole family, will go for the latter. Would rather cruise 1 less cruise and go upscale . This seems to be the evolution of cruising. Eat everything , lounge chair hogs versus true cruisers who will pay for the ship within a ship.

[skiwee]

We just did the breakaway in a courtyard haven suite last week. It was worth every penny and we paid full price but got the 4 perks at the time we booked last year. Having the pool and hot tub and lounge to ourselves compared to the hectic overcrowded regular pool area was worth the price. We didn't even use the concierge and barely bothered the butler. It was coming through that haven door, leaving all the loudness and craziness behind and entering solitude. We will never go back to regular balconies again. Already planning on a haven cabin on the escape next September.

[Brighton Line]

Two days ago, we were offered a Haven Spa Suite for $500 more pp.

 

HeyToots, pardon the pun, on the same cruise with you. Just called and got one of the two remaining H5's for the same deal. Was planning on getting the Vibe so for me it was $800 more ;)

 

Our third time in a suite but first in the Heaven and a Away Class ship, we had aft facing suites on Jewel Class ships.

 

Not telling the wife until we enter the special room at the pier.

Yah she doesn't read CC only the social media site that we can't talk about.

 

We are 9 days out from the cruise first offer was $1k total, love that they don't add tax to it and took it before she finished the upsell speech which she got a kick out of.

 

See you on board and at the Heaven receptions.

[chloemonkey]

We spent some time thinking about it and decided to take the plunge. We ended up cancelling our reservation with NCL and booking with a TA (it was $300 cheaper and we got a $600 OBC plus the current NCL promotional offers) and I can't wait!

 

Thanks to everyone for their advice and opinions and I am looking forward to reporting back on my experience when I return!

 

I think that you made the right decision.....and the only other thing that I would add is that we LOVED the food in the Haven restaurant.....and not only for breakfast. I found the steaks in the Haven to be as good or better than those at Cagneys on this ship! No reservations needed, they remember you by name.....service is great.....and no need to use up all (if any) of you Specialty Dining perks...

 

And I know that the restaurant is not the main reason nor the only one....but just wanted to add this to the mix....AND to help you to not look back!

[chloemonkey]

We spent some time thinking about it and decided to take the plunge. We ended up cancelling our reservation with NCL and booking with a TA (it was $300 cheaper and we got a $600 OBC plus the current NCL promotional offers) and I can't wait!

 

Thanks to everyone for their advice and opinions and I am looking forward to reporting back on my experience when I return!

 

I think that you made the right decision.....and the only other thing that I would add is that we LOVED the food in the Haven restaurant.....and not only for breakfast. I found the steaks in the Haven to be as good or better than those at Cagneys on this ship! No reservations needed, they remember you by name.....service is great.....and no need to use up all (if any) of your Specialty Dining Packages...

 

And I know that the restaurant is not the main reason nor the only one....but just wanted to add this to the mix....AND to help you to not look back!