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Breakaway Haven Spa Suite Sailing 9/29/19-10/06/19

graphicguy

By graphicguy,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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Well....here I am...rock you like a hurricane.....

 

Cheesy...sorry for the Scorpions reference!

 

This thread is more or less a continuation of the now well worn thread outlining my attempt to sail the Breakaway on 9/.  As we now know, that one never arrived in Miami to sail on 9/1, and actually stopped in New Orleans, before carrying on to the Bahamas to deliver humanitarian aid and supplies.  I'm assuming it's sailing its normal itinerary right now.

 

For my work, there's always a big push in the 4th quarter to, book, bill, massage, pull in, etc business to end the year strong.  This year's no different.  Those of you in the Business Development, Marketing, Sales etc depts know exactly what I'm talking about.  As such, aside from births, deaths, marriages and funerals, no vacations are approved in Q4.  We still take off most of Thanksgiving week (U.S.) and Christmas Week.  All else?  Grind it out.

 

So, I was safely within the last of my vacation plans if I had sailed originally on 9/1.  That ship has literally sailed.  The idea of losing the last of my vacation was not appealing.  But, since my dept and my team has done well so far this year, I was allowed a speciate dispensation to sail from 9/29-10/6.  It took some cajoling and promises made, but it's done.

 

Background, I've sailed both the "Away" ships in the past.  They are among my favorite cruises of all time.  I love the ships.  I love their entertainment.  I love the WaterFront, and.......I LOVE THE HAVEN.

 

I'm still pretty chaffed about how NCL handled the 9/1 sailing and how poorly they communicated with me, sometimes not communicating what was going on at all.  But, they didn't hesitate to refund the entire cruise amount quickly.  We'll see if they're able to win back my trust.

 

Looked at a Carnival Vista Havana Aft Cabin, which was the least expensive option I looked at.  But, that included nothing...no drink package...no specialty dinners....no internet....nothing extra.  By the time I added everything back in that I would want, the delta between the Haven Spa Suite (with all the perks) and the Havana was within a few hundred dollars.  Looked at the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas, too.  Same thing...base fare was less expensive.  But, adding everything back in that NCL offered, the price differential was a few hundred dollars.  In both cases, I would not have had the access to the Haven (or whatever Carnival and Royal calls their similar Suites and Suite services).

 

MSC Seaside Yacht Club was also an option.  But, to get close to the NCL Haven Spa Suite price, I would have had to sail in an inside cabin, which I really didn't want to do.

 

That brought me to the decision to snag a Haven Spa Suite, which includes free access to the Thermal Spa (which is a great part of any cruise in and of itself).

 

Will post as the cruise gets closer (according to NCLS's "check in" page, that's a scant 16 days away.

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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14 hours ago, david_sobe said:

A-hem

Tropical Storm Humberto lurking off the coast of Florida and the Bahamas

 

🙈

🙉

🙊

David...I saw that before I booked.  Thinking Humberto will either cease to exist in two weeks, or won’t get near Miami before sail away.  Anyway, those are my hopes.

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david_sobe

david_sobe

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12 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

David...I saw that before I booked.  Thinking Humberto will either cease to exist in two weeks, or won’t get near Miami before sail away.  Anyway, those are my hopes.

Of course.  I was just teasing you. The forecast is always right.  Dorian is hitting Puerto Rico, then the Dominican Republic and the mountains will reduce it to a depression off the coast of Florida  No worries

😲🤪🤭

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DaCruiseBug

DaCruiseBug

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23 hours ago, graphicguy said:

 

MSC Seaside Yacht Club was also an option.  But, to get close to the NCL Haven Spa Suite price, I would have had to sail in an inside cabin, which I really didn't want to do.

 

 

How is that so? A YC balcony cabin on the 9/28 sailing came out to $4,098 taxes included. Didn't you saiy you paid $4,000 for a Spa Suite?

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All-ready2cruise Holiday Sharing Rare

All-ready2cruise

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3 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

How is that so? A YC balcony cabin on the 9/28 sailing came out to $4,098 taxes included. Didn't you saiy you paid $4,000 for a Spa Suite?

I'm thinking that perhaps there are more important things than money.  I loved my cruise on MSC Divina, however, I've heard from friends that MSC doesn't treat solo cruisers nearly as well as NCL.  Is that the reason? It would be for me, having experienced solo on several NCL cruises, and, in several different staterooms. 

Money is not everything. 

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DaCruiseBug

DaCruiseBug

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4 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

I'm thinking that perhaps there are more important things than money.  I loved my cruise on MSC Divina, however, I've heard from friends that MSC doesn't treat solo cruisers nearly as well as NCL.  Is that the reason? It would be for me, having experienced solo on several NCL cruises, and, in several different staterooms. 

Money is not everything. 

 

He mentioned that he didn't chose MSC because of "price". Not sure why you're making it about solo travelers. He doesn't travel solo and even if he did...Haven/YC don't have solo pricing anyways. NCL has the studios with more solo activities but...you're talking about a room that's 100 sq ft. You can buy an inside room, pay double occupancy, and buy a beverage package for less than most NCL studios.

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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1 hour ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

How is that so? A YC balcony cabin on the 9/28 sailing came out to $4,098 taxes included. Didn't you saiy you paid $4,000 for a Spa Suite?

Correct....MSC YC balcony cost a bit more than the Haven Spa Suite.  And, the Haven Spa Suite also included more and better perks.

 

Solos are more than welcomed on NCL, too!

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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56 minutes ago, OceanBlueWaters said:

Well, I am hoping this trip works out for you.  I know how it is with work and when life gets in the way with juggling vacation time.  Have a great trip!

So true.....LOL!

 

Thanks!

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

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On 9/14/2019 at 3:57 PM, DaCruiseBug said:

 

He mentioned that he didn't chose MSC because of "price". Not sure why you're making it about solo travelers. He doesn't travel solo and even if he did...Haven/YC don't have solo pricing anyways. NCL has the studios with more solo activities but...you're talking about a room that's 100 sq ft. You can buy an inside room, pay double occupancy, and buy a beverage package for less than most NCL studios.

I did choose NCL because “like for like”, the Haven Spa Suite is nicer than the MSC YC Balcony Suite.  And, the Haven was about $200 less, like for like perks.

 

As far as inside cabin pricing, aside from the YC inside cabins, I wasn’t really priced any.

 

Considering, for a brief time, regular spa cabins priced out the same as Haven Spa Suites (~$4K), made the Haven a heckuva price.

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