THE SECRETS OF THE NCL HAVEN LUXURY EXPERIENCE

[WAHMto5]

3 hours ago, vacation44 said:

 

 

Currently on Joy in cabin 14178 which is a HI.   It takes no more than 1 minute to enter the door to the Haven Courtyard.  And there is no noise what so ever in the hallway.   We feel it is really a perfect location and the perfect cabin.  Cabin and balcony is huge (two loungers, two chairs and a table with room to spare).   We are going to definitely try to book this cabin again the next time we are on the Joy in 2024.

This is great news as I chose this room for our sailing this Saturday when you get back!  I always try to book the angled balconies and this room looked like it was perfect.  Hope you are having a great cruise!  

[kuku77254]

Haven tipping question - Not asking how much or to whom but if you want to tip your servers at the Haven restaurant, do you just leave it on the table? Hand it to them? There's not a check to sign so I was curious how people tip then.

[Karaboudjan]

8 minutes ago, kuku77254 said:

Haven tipping question - Not asking how much or to whom but if you want to tip your servers at the Haven restaurant, do you just leave it on the table? Hand it to them? There's not a check to sign so I was curious how people tip then.

If you want to tip the serving team I would just leave it on the table.  If you to single someone out then I guess handing it to them is better since you can't be sure who will bus the table.

[aubreyc1988]

3 hours ago, Acruzaholic said:

I have stayed in the past near the elevators-never noticed and excessive hall noise-Proper use of the beverage package greatly enhances the sleeping.🤩

I am never too worried about noise because I have profound hearing loss, my husband on the other hand hears everything, so he will just have to enhance his sleeping with beverages lol

[aubreyc1988]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

Here is the balcony. The first one is the right side when we walk out and the second one is the left side.

WOW, love that there are two loungers out there. Did you request that or were they already there? Can you request to have a table out there too? Have you dined in room yet, I would love to do that once on my cruise but wasn't sure if there was enough space on the table

[aubreyc1988]

2 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

 

 

i admit i didnt know they were that different each deck. id be on youtube and CC researching vids for every room to see the differences. but im crazy like that. on the BA i actually started a thread here to see which rooms had the pole in the middle of the haven spa rooms and what crew doors were across the hall. i'm that detailed. 

 

or maybe there's already a thread here. i guess the design of the ship necessitates a bit of deviation for each deck plan. if you are really detailed you'd also find exterior close up shots to zoom in and see each balcony and any possible obstructions or differences as well. depends how much free time you have. 

 

regarding the walk. dont worry about it. i'm out of shape and very lazy but i never minded the walk when i had the forward suite on princess. the suite was it's own reward. that being said, it was a super rough cruise and with the drink package i did get sick being up front and high up. but it was force 10 winds and you had to hold on for dear life to the bar in the shower. if you have no issues being up front with rough seas then id go for it. 

 

i never saw an HI so i watched this vid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxeF9b5KzSU 

 

id take that room over a courtyard penthouse with certainty. sooo much bigger and i dont mind the standard mini suite bathroom vs the fancier courtyard one. (same darn shower glass though) but still 260 more for literally an entire living room with the forward cabin is hard to pass up! i wish the older ships had the HI category. id buy it in a minute. in that vid there's a lounger on the balcony but im unsure if one woudl fit on the forward suite balcony. that may be a deciding factor. 

 

one thing personally that would sway me is check normal pricing for the forward suite. if it's a reallllly good deal. take it. cause after the virus is gone things will be normal pricing and we cannot afford such things then lol. thats one reason i booked my 2 br on getaway. it's a steal at 2500. i checked and during christmas week the 2 br is 12K. totally crazy. im trying to get as many deals as i can while pricing is low. 

 

 

i did notice this on the plans which means the cabin would be totally different so beware of that type of cabin

Please note stateroom #13108 is an ADA accessible stateroom.

I am glad that I am not alone in obsessing over stuff like this lol.  I'll try to find what normal pricing is for the fwd facing. I need to check pricing further out as well, like you did! I usually sail in Sept, but haven't seen anything on NCL's website that really stood out, but if the price is right, I will go almost anywhere lol 

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, kuku77254 said:

Haven tipping question - Not asking how much or to whom but if you want to tip your servers at the Haven restaurant, do you just leave it on the table? Hand it to them? There's not a check to sign so I was curious how people tip then.

You will get lots of opinion here and this subject.  Because this is not a normal restaurant situation, where no bill is given, discretion would be something I would consider. If the service is outstanding, put it in your hand and shake their hand.  They will get it.  I do the same from time to time with the bartenders. 

 

The other way is to do it in an envelope at the end of the week.  That is what is done most often. Remember, no one is wrong, everyone has an opinion.

 

Cruise well.

[aubreyc1988]

1 hour ago, kuku77254 said:

Haven tipping question - Not asking how much or to whom but if you want to tip your servers at the Haven restaurant, do you just leave it on the table? Hand it to them? There's not a check to sign so I was curious how people tip then.

Personally I plan on asking for some envelopes and writing their name on the envelope and handing it to them. I dislike the "vegas handshake" personally. 

[luckyinpa]

Just now, aubreyc1988 said:

Personally I plan on asking for some envelopes and writing their name on the envelope and handing it to them. I dislike the "vegas handshake" personally. 

 

ive heard on different ships they may or may not be available. ditto with the hero cards you used to get at the front desk. 

[aubreyc1988]

3 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

 

ive heard on different ships they may or may not be available. ditto with the hero cards you used to get at the front desk. 

oh good to know, I'll pack some blank envelopes. 

[complawyer]

i just give the tip directly to whoever will be the recipient. if it's my waitress at breakfast or the waiter at lunch, before we leave, i just  hand them the cash.  after the 1st day or 2, they all greet me with a smile.

 

 

[Sthrngary]

Hello fellow CruiseCritic.com members.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this very long thread.  I wrote it in October 2019 because I felt there was not enough information on the NCL Haven Experience.  Hard to consider something if all you get is an Informercial from a Travel Agent on other social media sites.  

 

The thread has taken many twists and turns.  It currently has over 127,500 views with close to 1,800 comments.  Close to 60 pages long which is huge for CruiseCritic.com.  I was asked to update the materials and put on a new topic.  I was just on the NCL Joy in the Haven on November 27, 2021.  Based on that experience, I did indeed update the materials.  I also started a new topic on the NCL CruiseCritic.com board.  The link is below.

 

Feel free to continue to post here or if you are new and want the most up to day information, go to the new posting.  Thanks for all the feedback and I hope to see everyone some day in the Haven.

 

Cruise well.

 

 

[RocketMan275]

I would like to let everyone know how great the service is from the Haven Concierge staff here in the states.  I've had occasion to call them twice and received outstanding service.  Wait times were non-existent.  

The first time, I called because I had received a note that I would get a letter asking about preferences about 120 days prior to sailing.  Since I booked this cruise less than 30 days prior, I thought I would call and see if there was something I needed to know.  Good thing I did because the Concierge noticed that my reservation was hosed.  My TA had not included the Free At Sea Promo.  I attribute that entirely to my failure to communicate.  The Concierge told me I would have to have my TA correct this.  My TA promptly took care of this and I've received a written confirmation.  I would have really upset without the drinks and specialty dinners.  

 

I called them again today to make dinner reservations for the specialty restaurants.  I only did this because the times and dates I wanted were not available online.  On the previous call the concierge had told me making these reservations was something they could do.  She promptly made the reservations on the dates and at the times I wanted.  Yes, they do hold a significant number of slots.

 

On this second call, the recording said that they 'were experiencing higher call volumes and I might have to wait.  Well, the wait was less than one minute.

 

Anyway if you're booking in the Haven, these people are really great.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Anyway if you're booking in the Haven, these people are really great.

I forgot to add, they speak English too.  A dialect from Arizona but still English.

[complawyer]

nothing personal rocketman, but i dont think anyone from north alabama should be commenting on an arizona accent.

 

roll tide!

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, complawyer said:

nothing personal rocketman, but i dont think anyone from north alabama should be commenting on an arizona accent.

 

roll tide!

Actually, I just live in North Alabama.  I'm from Oklahoma

[Lionkingrichard]

Oklahoma  Oklahoma Oklahoma

 

What movie?

[vacation44]

8 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

WOW, love that there are two loungers out there. Did you request that or were they already there? Can you request to have a table out there too? Have you dined in room yet, I would love to do that once on my cruise but wasn't sure if there was enough space on the table

We requested them before we sailed, but they were not there when we boarded.  When we met our room Stewart, we asked him and they were on our balcony within 10 minutes.

 

We have not eaten a meal out on the balcony yet other than drinks and snacks, but yes, you could move the furniture around and eat a meal out there.

[momofjohnjr]

On 2/5/2022 at 4:11 PM, cruising sister said:

Are you able to cruise? 

We made it!! Woot woot!! Lol!!

[momofjohnjr]

I have a lot of pages to catch up on! My battery is low so this is just a mini post. I wish I had paid attention that you could connect to cruisecritic with no charge when onboard. Lol. My son bought wifi but only him. 

When we were in the lounge pre-board at first I thought we were ok and then the lady starts the questions and tells me they should all be no. I saw covid in 14 days and thought omGod what and hit no. 😳 she tells me she has to doubke check the kids vaccine cards and I thought that's it. [Because Hannah's positive also came from CVS]. Then she said Only 11 or under. So we did get to go but that was all nerve-wracking. Had I known that I would have felt obligated to stay home.

It's true. Once haven u never want yo go back. I'm definitely not looking "as" forward to our RC cruise next month. Lol. 

[Oh...we were on Escape February 5-12. ]

There were somethings we weren't super fond of and other things we loved like getting to go in the garbage and food elevators! Wish we had a pic of the garbage sign. 

4 kids on Haven 22 down to 5.. not as fun as I had hoped because 2 teens and young adult. Sophie our 5 y.o. got a bit bored but just because her fear held her back. She was happy most of the time. Teens complained quite a bit, 22 yo son complained a bit too. These generations. Ugh. But he liked it. Teens not so much. Hubby fell in love with the coffee maker and today his arrived from Kohl's. Lol. Nespresso Pixie by Delonghi with Milk Frother..that frother is for me. Fiod in Haven much better. Kids and I went to Savor one night and it was pretty awful. We did have some big misses in Haven though. Kept getting served pork even when we reminded them and the first night we got raw risotto. Not undercooked but raw. Seriously very raw. So when the waitress said I'm sorry it wasn't to your liking I kindly pointed out that it wasn't the taste that it was crunchy and uncooked and that would be a problem for everyone not just me. Maybe she didn't believe me but we had 3 bowls of raw risotto. 🤔 barely cooked on the outside I'm really not sure how that happened. 

I didn't try the pool til the last day and it was lovely and not too cold though I had Sophie with me and saw her lips turning purple so I sent her to the hot tub to warm up. Ship was I believe around 40% capacity. 

Our Butler was Jenzer. He was amazing 👏 😍 and steward was Radwell and he was also amazing 👏 ❤️.  We did a 50/50 tip with Jenzer as I just feel weird doing 100% upfront. Radwell got money somedays and a big tip at the end but not as big as Jenzer since he is part of the tipping pool. Concierge was great but we didn't tip. Maybe we should have at least done a little but I don't know. I wish we had gotten to know Jenzer better but he seemed more rushed. Radwell told us about his 6 year old son back home also starting to learn to read and things like Sophie. The room was perfect.  I had worried it would be too small but it was just fine. Sooooo much storage.  We were able to keep everything pretty tidy. 

Pre-concierge had the note about us also celebrating our Anniversary (since it was a few days b4 the cruise) and left us a card to give the waitress. We did on the last night and they sang a song and gave us a yummy cake. That song lasted way too long. Lol!  Sooo much more to say but most of the Haven stuff is covered. We really are going to try to do the smaller suite next time. We would rather do less cruises Haven then more cruises not. 🛳 They completely suceeded in hooking us. I don't think we will do it for the ships without all the perks though because I feel it's worth all of them but not some of them. 

I'm going to try to catch up some more b4 my phone decides it's had enough. I hope to post some pics and stuff later if there aren't objections. 

Feel free to ask anything and absolutely do NOT miss After Midnight. No matter what. Even one of my kids was hoping to see it twice! (My 14 y.o. daughter)

Btw- The cute teas are awful. Hahaha. 

Edited February 19, 2022 by momofjohnjr

[momofjohnjr]

On 2/8/2022 at 10:34 PM, Starflyr3 said:

My kids get bored FAST at dinner in any restaurant besides the buffet, so the last several cruises, we have ordered dinner almost every night in the room.  It also let us order from multiple specialty restaurants in 1 night (we have 2 person SDP + 2 latitudes dinners).

 

this year, they’ll be 10 and 13, so they can get dinner on their own, with friends, if they’re so inclined.  (If Dolphins is running 🤞, or the 10 yo will be with us for dinners)

We had a small activity book and crayons for Sophie and some nights she brought her Kindle. 

[momofjohnjr]

Important.  If u like getting meals or even leftovers brought to your room you probably want to ask for things to be consolidated. We asked that once and apparently needed to request it each time because the next day we were back to 1000 plates. Lol!!

 

Gary, I have a funny story because of your adult movies aren't included line. Lol. I called to ask thinking we never watch any but let's buy one while on board. Y not!? So I call to ask and I'm told we think not butvwe will find out. Puts me on hold comes back and says yes then calls back a bit later to say he was wrong that no they don't have them. Lol! Sooo FYI. Ncl doesn't have adult content and I had the embarrassing pleasure of finding out. Makes for a cute story for the right people. 

My son found out and was like why don't you just get it free online. I said I don't want to get a virus or cookies from that! (Can u imagine the ads after that!?). 

 

[momofjohnjr]

On 2/10/2022 at 2:31 PM, Sthrngary said:

I do not know if there is an official list.  Just ask for what you want.  The worst thing they can say is no.

 

Cruise well.

I got the impression after our list of likes and dislikes for 6 people that if it's on the ship they can get it, especially if it's free. We got numerous plates each day x2. Almost everything was eaten because he really did use our suggestions! (Except he gave us canned olives, no biggie but they did get wasted).

[momofjohnjr]

On 2/12/2022 at 3:40 PM, Joebucks said:

I tried to get an idea of what cool things you can do with this expensive offer. The last two pages are dominated by hundreds of dollars of tips and strawberries. I got all of the answers I need.

I don't know if you will ever see this but my husband made a good point when I was saying but they haven't worked in a long time we should try to give extra. He told me I work hard for my money too. There was more to the conversation but it was like the one thing someone else said to take in account forced tipping. My first big job was housekeeping so I have a special interest in tipping there and the Butler isn't included which should be more advertised.  That's where our focus was. And my husband works at Wal-Mart so he really does know hard work. They are an awful company (he's legally blind so not many options as he needs rides or uber, close to home etc. Dentist by education). We paid for this trip over 4 years and we feel what we did was fair and we had brought extra money for extra special service but we didn't really get anything extra special outside our Steward and Butler. We really loved them and they worked hard for us. 

[momofjohnjr]

On 2/13/2022 at 1:42 PM, Lionkingrichard said:

Good point about the call. Thanks

Agreed. Tampa is where we live near. Someday might be doing Haven out of there.