The Haven...

[gavinfromlondon]

Apologies, as I'm sure that these questions have been much asked.

 

Thinking of doing our first NCL cruise (on Breakaway) and looking at the Haven. Have cruised RCI a lot more, mainly in suites.

 

How easy is it to get space by the Haven pool or on the Haven sundeck (we'd be travelling at Easter)? Are bookings necessary for the Haven restaurant or do you just turn up. Keen to understand this as the main reason for booking is to have a stress free trip compared to the scrum for sunloungers on the main sun decks...

 

Also very happy to hear any other Haven related tips/ must knows for a newbie...

[flipper32]

One caveat I haven't traveled on a holiday week but I have never had an issue with seating around the pool at the Haven. You can make a reservation in the Haven restaurant but I haven't found it necessary .

[Lupush]

You will never have an issue finding a seat by the pool or sundeck in the Haven. I've been in the Haven on Epic, Escape, Getaway, and Jade and never had an issue. Reservations are not required in the Haven restaurant however it does get busy at times, especially breakfast on sea days.

 

I can't speak highly enough of the Haven experience. It is worth every penny and the only way my wife and I cruise now!

[gavinfromlondon]

Thanks both, good to hear.

[BNBR]

I came from Royal and sailed the Haven on Escape and wouldn't do it again, personally.

 

Note that the Haven is not adults only. It's sold as a shangri la retreat and it can be anything but. If you have a bunch of families sailing in the Haven (it's loaded with 2 bedroom suites), it can easily get overrun by loud kids, etc. On my sailing, there were 12 - 15 kids all over the tiny Haven courtyard from morning to night almost the entire cruise. Snorkeling in the hot tubs, playing games in the pool, it was essentially unusable unless you were 5 years old and wanted to join in. As for getting a chair by the pool, yes and no. Usually there was at least one chair on the lower deck, but always plenty of chairs on the higher decks. The sun deck was pretty crowded and not always available, though generally there was no issue getting a chair.

 

Note that there is no ocean view from the Haven courtyard area. Quite frankly, the Solarium is a better product than the Haven courtyard. If you sail in a suite on Royal, you get access to the lounge/restaurant and private suite sun deck, etc.... and the Solarium is adults only and has a view. It's just, better. Keep in mind that the Haven is totally enclosed other than the little sun deck, no view at all and can be noisy as it's an echo chamber.

 

The Haven restaurant is pretty good, but I'd say not as groundbreaking as many seem to suggest. The menu isn't that big and literally doesn't change the entire cruise, so it gets old after the second visit. However, it's really nice going in there for breakfast and you don't need reservations.

 

The specialty dining on NCL is really solid and the waterfront is awesome. You can also combine two... nice specialty dining on the waterfront. It's a great experience.

 

The concierge was great, the butler had very little value to us but you may make better use of them. I could go on and on but I won't :) I would just say that I'd take a crown loft suite on Oasis all day over the Haven. I have no interest in "maybe the Haven will be a daycare, or maybe it'll be relaxing for our cruise" - it's not worth the wager or risk. I think it's way overpriced for the offering unless you get a great deal on it. I would sail Royal suite class or a proper luxury line for the money.

[BostonGal35]

if Easter is mid April it may well coincide with school vacation week for the northeast. you could not give me a free cruise during that week. the whole ship will be overrun with unruly children, and quite possibly the Haven will be overrrun as well.

[DaisyGoldberg]

I've sailed in suites on the Dawn a bunch of times, but my only time in the Haven was on the Breakaway. The pool is quite small and while there is seating near it, there are also multiple tables for overflow from the Haven restaurant set up very close by. It's not really a pool that people lounge around (or swim in). If swimming is a goal, the Breakaway is not really built for it.

 

Upstairs in the Haven there are plenty of lounge chairs and if it's a quiet week it's a great place to get away from the busy ship. As others have noted, you don't have any control over fellow passengers, however, and loud children make for a VERY loud Haven. The second floor is open to the pool area below, so if kids are playing in the pool/hot tubs, their voices will echo pretty loudly. (Conversely, they keep the music pretty loud, which also makes for the opposite problem -- when you're the only one up there, you're going to hear the piped in music echoing around pretty loudly, which was kind of obnoxious with Christmas tunes)

 

There's a good sized area outside which is probably quite nice in ideal weather, but I was on a winter cruise and it was so windy even in the Caribbean that hardly anybody used it. Your itinerary may be different.

 

If you bring a good pair of headphones you should be all set if you just want to stretch out and read, nap, or chill in the Haven (second floor).

[rbt001]

 

 

The Haven restaurant is pretty good, but I'd say not as groundbreaking as many seem to suggest. The menu isn't that big and literally doesn't change the entire cruise, so it gets old after the second visit.

 

I was in The Haven on a 7 day cruise and ate 18 of my 21 meals in the restaurant. Next time I'll probably eat all of my meals there and never be bored with the static menu.

 

Here's what you'll find between the lunch and dinner menus, there are:

 

9 appetizers including:

• shrimp
  
• ahi tuna
  
• beef tartar
  
• pork belly
  
• short ribs
  
• risotto
  
• seafood plate
  
• sliced meat & cheese plate
  

4 soups including a daily rotating chilled soup.

 

4 entree portioned salads

 

3 side salads featuring different greens including: butter lettuce, romaine, and arugula

 

Entrees include:

• sea bass
  
• salmon
  
• shrimp
  
• scallops
  
• clams
  
• rack of lamb
  
• duck
  
• chicken
  
• pork
  
• veal
  
• filet mignon
  
• prime rib
  
• cheese tart
  
• mushroom ravioli
  

Also available were burgers and sandwiches.

 

In fact, when I asked if I could order sliced avocado and onion with olive oil as a salad, the response was: "Sure, if they have the ingredients, they will make it."

 

So... I really didn't find the menu to be limited or lacking variety.

[tymike]

Having sailed on the BA twice in the Haven I can only offer that once it was a true Haven (during the BA's third sailing) and once it was a sad/frustrating disappointment with one huge group overwhelming the space the entire week. Talk about loud...and no use of the hot tubs (filled with kids and teens)...nerf footballs flying...you get the idea. I spoke to the concierge about it and his response was along the lines of "it's difficult when there's a large group". I say it's not at all a Haven of any kind in that situation.

 

I don't know that I'll sail the BA again, precisely because I'd only go to the Haven as it's so crazy busy everywhere else. And after my second Haven experience, I'm not sure I'd risk the huge price that the Haven commands. It's a gamble.

[BirdTravels]

Apologies, as I'm sure that these questions have been much asked. Thinking of doing our first NCL cruise (on Breakaway) and looking at the Haven. Have cruised RCI a lot more, mainly in suites. How easy is it to get space by the Haven pool or on the Haven sundeck (we'd be travelling at Easter)? Are bookings necessary for the Haven restaurant or do you just turn up. Keen to understand this as the main reason for booking is to have a stress free trip compared to the scrum for sunloungers on the main sun decks... Also very happy to hear any other Haven related tips/ must knows for a newbie...

The following link has photos from our Breakaway cruise last year https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2504449

 

There is not really any seating "around the pool". Lounger seating is one deck up looking down on the pool. And then outside on the open sundeck. If it is windy on sea days, they will close the retractable roof (enjoying air conditioned sunshine).

 

The Haven restaurant is open seating, Show up when you are hungry. Since there are so many restaurants on board, a lot of people eat outside the Haven for dinner. Dress code is casual (shorts are permitted on all nights if you chose).

 

The Haven lounge and private bar are wonderful.

 

The concierge staff will ensure that you get bookings when and where you want. If you book the Cirque show, they will escort you in before the show opens and give you a front row table. There are reserved seating in the main theater (similar to RCCL).

 

Your butler will take care of you in your room. We have them empty the mini-bar and leave pitchers of ice water and ice tea. We request bowls of gummy bears, M&M, and bar mix. In addition to the normal afternoon snacks, we make special requests like PB&J for "big kids". On early port days, our butler will serve breakfast in the room on a white tablecloth. Our normal breakfast orders include eggs over easy, egg white omelets, filet steak, bacon, ham, sausage, fresh bread, fresh fruit, coffee, juice, and a diet pepsi.

[gavinfromlondon]

Sounds amazing... you had me on gummy bears!

 

Thanks all. We would be travelling with our daughter (7) so not too worried about noise etc though understand why it's an issue for those travelling with out kids.

[GoTravelLife]

I wrote an extensive review here https://gotravellife.com/2018/01/03/about-us/ including menu pics and such. Enjoy- we are totally hooked on the Haven!

 

 

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[VideoTech]

Apologies, as I'm sure that these questions have been much asked.

 

Thinking of doing our first NCL cruise (on Breakaway) and looking at the Haven. Have cruised RCI a lot more, mainly in suites.

 

How easy is it to get space by the Haven pool or on the Haven sundeck (we'd be travelling at Easter)? Are bookings necessary for the Haven restaurant or do you just turn up. Keen to understand this as the main reason for booking is to have a stress free trip compared to the scrum for sunloungers on the main sun decks...

 

Also very happy to hear any other Haven related tips/ must knows for a newbie...

 

We have sailed extensively in the Epic and Escape Havens. The courtyard/pool experience can vary greatly. First point is that the pool in the Haven courtyard is very small. It's really not more than a plunge pool. There are also two hot tubs. During the day, on cruises at popular times with families, you are likely to find the pool area very crowded with kids. How they behave depends largely on how their families make them behave.

 

With regard to lounge chairs, our experience is that (just as on the non-Haven pool decks) if you're not down there early to find a seat, you won't get one. Again, it can depend largely on the time of year of the cruise and the itinerary. But - there is a very nice interior sundeck on the deck above and around the pool deck, and there is an even better exterior sundeck on that same level. We've never had problems finding loungers in those two areas. There's full bar service on both those sundecks as well as a hot tub on the exterior sundeck. I haven't been on the Breakaway but I believe the setup is the same as on the Escape.

 

Since you're cruising at Easter, you may find more families on board. I would suggest you'd do well to use the pool courtyard early in the morning, or late in the day.

 

No reservations are required at the Haven restaurant. The food is excellent, although as pointed out, the menu does not change over the course of the cruise (one thing NCL could do better!) .