The NCL Haven Luxury VIP Experience "Secrets" REVISED for 2022

[mconthehighseas]

28 minutes ago, bookbabe said:

FYI for those who had heard about the possibility, the pre-concierge says no NCL ships have binoculars in the suites (or anywhere else) anymore.

 

Do you know if there are umbrellas or special blankets for the deck chairs on the balconies?

[bookbabe]

28 minutes ago, mconthehighseas said:

Do you know if there are umbrellas or special blankets for the deck chairs on the balconies?

I did see an umbrella in a past Haven cabin, so I didn’t even ask about that.  And I didn’t think of asking about blankets, sorry.

[mconthehighseas]

1 minute ago, bookbabe said:

I did see an umbrella in a past Haven cabin, so I didn’t even ask about that.  And I didn’t think of asking about blankets, sorry.

No problem!  I have plenty of time before I cruise to find out

[vacation44]

53 minutes ago, mconthehighseas said:

Do you know if there are umbrellas or special blankets for the deck chairs on the balconies?

We had an umbrella in our Haven cabin a few weeks ago on the Joy.  Unfortunately,  we had to use it for two port days.

[luckyinpa]

4 hours ago, mconthehighseas said:

Do you know if there are umbrellas or special blankets for the deck chairs on the balconies?

2 br on getaway has umbrella but I brought my own binoculars

[nalrudaini]

We were on the Escape few weeks ago (Feb 19 sailing).  We had Maria as our butler.  I booked the cruise 10 days prior, so I didn't have the luxury of contacting the concierge and making any requests.  When Maria came and introduced herself to us, we talked about what we want and expect.  When she left, I gave a small tip just to say that if you take care of us, we will take care of you.  She really didn't disappoint throughout the trip.  On our last night, We said goodbye, and I handed her an envelope with a thank you note, and the rest of her tip. 

[vacation44]

Gary, can you please repost the video your daughter made of you?  I am having trouble finding it and I want to show my husband.

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

Gary, can you please repost the video your daughter made of you?  I am having trouble finding it and I want to show my husband.

Here you go!!

 

https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromart/video/7036433568968625413?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id7032457447349913094

 

 

Edited March 12, 2022 by Sthrngary

[Sailing12Away]

21 hours ago, mconthehighseas said:

Do you know if there are umbrellas or special blankets for the deck chairs on the balconies?

The umbrella is usually stowed away in one of the closets. Blankets you usually have to ask for.

[pamps2801]

23 hours ago, mconthehighseas said:

Do you know if there are umbrellas or special blankets for the deck chairs on the balconies?

Are you referring to" Deck Umbrellas or Rain Umbrellas"?

[rbird]

Luckyinpa- what cabin number and ship had the mini window in the shower?

[mconthehighseas]

1 hour ago, pamps2801 said:

Are you referring to" Deck Umbrellas or Rain Umbrellas"?

Rain umbrellas.
I am new to NCL and wondered if I need to pack umbrellas. Suites on HAL have umbrellas, but I don't think we had them on Royal, even in the genie class suites.

[Sthrngary]

Who would have thought that a thread about the Haven would focus on umbrellas.  Well, threads have a life of there own.  In my cruise in the Haven on the Joy, there was an umbrella.  I did not see binoculars however we brought out own.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Sthrngary]

I will be on the NCL Joy once again for the Miami sailing on March 19, 2022.  Unless the "Bid Upgrade Gods" look kindly on me, I will be in a Club Balcony Suite as a solo.  I share this on this stream because I will do what some brilliant posters call, "Haven Lite".  As I did for my first Joy cruise with my family at the end of November. I will do a real time review of the ship this time from a solo cruiser's perspective. 

 

Look for the separate topic on the NCL blog towards the end of next week.  The comparison to the Haven should be interesting.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every minute. 

[mearsfansinboise]

@Sthrngary I just finished my butler letter - modifying yours just a tad to suit who we are and what we like/dislike.  It made it very easy, and helped me think of things we otherwise may not have asked for.  Also, it made me even more excited to board ONE WEEK FROM TODAY - gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!   🎉🎉🎉

Thanks much!

Edited March 13, 2022 by mearsfansinboise

[aubreyc1988]

Just got off Joy last weekend, was a great cruise, feel free to ask me anything! We stated in the Courtyard Penthouse on deck 18, room 18708, butler was Melody and room steward was Sergio. 

 

All my expectations were met, had a great time, but there was some things I thought would be more "luxury" that was not. I was really unimpressed by the "bespoke" bar options and the bar service in the Haven, so I went to other bars in the ship, especially Mojito bar with my old friend Bong (we have sailed on ships with him at the mojitobar several times). The whole mojito bar staff was amazing (David, Monica, Bong, and others) while the Haven bar was pretty lack luster for me. I did stop by a few times but not many. 

 

Not NCL's fault, but there was a ton of "better than thou" passengers that killed the vibe a bit in the bar/waiting area of the Haven, so we utilized the sun deck the most out of these spaces.

 

We ate breakfast almost everyday in the Haven Restaurant, which really didn't have a ton I loved but a ton of options for my husband. I mostly rotated from waffle or french toast and felt like the quality of these dishes were not consistent. Lunch menu was pretty meh to me so we ate most lunches in buffet or skipped lunch haha. Ate around 3x in Haven Restaurant for supper, every-time delicious but special requests were not really granted so take that in mind. The other nights we ate in specialty restaurants: Cagney's, LeBistro, American Diner, Teppanyaki, Food Republic. All of them were great!  The pool snacks menu in the Haven was a nice extra, but honestly it just seemed like buffet food they brought up, which is FINE but not what I would consider like "premium" I loved the "build your own trail mix" in the Horizon Lounge, esp since my single snack request from my butler only happened one day. 

 

Will I go back to other cabin categories, of course. Will I sail in the Haven again for the right price, of course. I did like the convenience of the courtyard room, but I would sail outside of the courtyard even with the inconvenience of the walk. 

[Sthrngary]

22 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Just got off Joy last weekend, was a great cruise, feel free to ask me anything! We stated in the Courtyard Penthouse on deck 18, room 18708, butler was Melody and room steward was Sergio. 

 

All my expectations were met, had a great time, but there was some things I thought would be more "luxury" that was not. I was really unimpressed by the "bespoke" bar options and the bar service in the Haven, so I went to other bars in the ship, especially Mojito bar with my old friend Bong (we have sailed on ships with him at the mojitobar several times). The whole mojito bar staff was amazing (David, Monica, Bong, and others) while the Haven bar was pretty lack luster for me. I did stop by a few times but not many. 

 

Not NCL's fault, but there was a ton of "better than thou" passengers that killed the vibe a bit in the bar/waiting area of the Haven, so we utilized the sun deck the most out of these spaces.

 

We ate breakfast almost everyday in the Haven Restaurant, which really didn't have a ton I loved but a ton of options for my husband. I mostly rotated from waffle or french toast and felt like the quality of these dishes were not consistent. Lunch menu was pretty meh to me so we ate most lunches in buffet or skipped lunch haha. Ate around 3x in Haven Restaurant for supper, every-time delicious but special requests were not really granted so take that in mind. The other nights we ate in specialty restaurants: Cagney's, LeBistro, American Diner, Teppanyaki, Food Republic. All of them were great!  The pool snacks menu in the Haven was a nice extra, but honestly it just seemed like buffet food they brought up, which is FINE but not what I would consider like "premium" I loved the "build your own trail mix" in the Horizon Lounge, esp since my single snack request from my butler only happened one day. 

 

Will I go back to other cabin categories, of course. Will I sail in the Haven again for the right price, of course. I did like the convenience of the courtyard room, but I would sail outside of the courtyard even with the inconvenience of the walk. 

Well done, Well written and Well stated.  Thank you.

 

Cruise well.

[mrshorsy]

We paid early on for the upgraded drinks package but have since upgraded to a Haven Suite on The Gem is the better drinks package usually included in the haven ?

 

[phissy]

8 minutes ago, mrshorsy said:

We paid early on for the upgraded drinks package but have since upgraded to a Haven Suite on The Gem is the better drinks package usually included in the haven ?

 

No, it is paid upgrade regardless of cabin category. ( Even in the Haven)

[JandC_Cruising]

5 minutes ago, mrshorsy said:

We paid early on for the upgraded drinks package but have since upgraded to a Haven Suite on The Gem is the better drinks package usually included in the haven ?

 

No....drink packages are the same regardless of the cabin or category.

To enjoy the Premium Plus benefits, you need to have the upgrade, even if you are in the Haven.

The one thing that I can tell you, from experience, is that the Haven bars have more high end alcohols in their reach...You can really make that Premium Plus upgrade work to your favor while drinking in the Haven bar!

Enjoy the cruise...and the booze!

 

[aubreyc1988]

4 minutes ago, JandC_Cruising said:

No....drink packages are the same regardless of the cabin or category.

To enjoy the Premium Plus benefits, you need to have the upgrade, even if you are in the Haven.

The one thing that I can tell you, from experience, is that the Haven bars have more high end alcohols in their reach...You can really make that Premium Plus upgrade work to your favor while drinking in the Haven bar!

Enjoy the cruise...and the booze!

 

just note that all of this is subject to availability.  There was a lot of premium and premium plus liquors not available on the Joy last week, but this will vary from cruise to cruise until supply chain stuff smooths out. One lady at the Haven bar was having a fit because they ran out of Baileys, but they had a lower shelf substitute that she wasn't happy with and it was a very "I'm speaking to the manager" situation

[JGmf]

13 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

One lady at the Haven bar was having a fit because they ran out of Baileys, but they had a lower shelf substitute that she wasn't happy with and it was a very "I'm speaking to the manager" situation

 

Geez, Karen was on that ship too?

[Sthrngary]

17 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

One lady at the Haven bar was having a fit because they ran out of Baileys, but they had a lower shelf substitute that she wasn't happy with and it was a very "I'm speaking to the manager" situation

That is a darn shame.  First, I really don't think NCL goes out of their way to not have Bailey's or any other brand.  They would have it if it was available for sure.  Supply Chain effects everyone.  Second, the heat went on the crew and bartender.  They don't order the supply.  They just serve.  I really makes me made when we blame a crew member for an executive decision. 

 

6 minutes ago, JGmf said:

Geez, Karen was on that ship too?

Every sailing has both Karen and Kevin.  The bottom line is after almost 30 cruises.  Not one of them every happened without something going really wrong.  Weather, Ports Closed, Covid-19 Case Changing Rules, Illness, Accidents and the list go on.  If a brand of adult beverage is not available due to supply chain issues, just smile and move on.  Nothing we can say or do will change that situation. NOTHING. 

 

I was on a luxury brand mid-summer.  These kinds of comments happened quite often.  Entitlement is not excusive to young people.

 

Cruise well everyone and enjoy every moment. 

[aubreyc1988]

2 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

That is a darn shame.  First, I really don't think NCL goes out of their way to not have Bailey's or any other brand.  They would have it if it was available for sure.  Supply Chain effects everyone.  Second, the heat went on the crew and bartender.  They don't order the supply.  They just serve.  I really makes me made when we blame a crew member for an executive decision. 

 

Every sailing has both Karen and Kevin.  The bottom line is after almost 30 cruises.  Not one of them every happened without something going really wrong.  Weather, Ports Closed, Covid-19 Case Changing Rules, Illness, Accidents and the list go on.  If a brand of adult beverage is not available due to supply chain issues, just smile and move on.  Nothing we can say or do will change that situation. NOTHING. 

 

I was on a luxury brand mid-summer.  These kinds of comments happened quite often.  Entitlement is not excusive to young people.

 

Cruise well everyone and enjoy every moment. 

Exactly. I love my Captain and Diets, and they were out of Captain the first day, so I was drinking some other lower shelf version I liked to call "the first officer" LOL, and I survived, can you believe it HAHA

 

Also I did feel a bit smug that the morning before this lady complained, I asked for a shot of baileys in my coffee and the Haven bartender just free poured SO much in there, I was probably the last person who had Baileys on the ship haha. 

[RocketMan275]

Just got back yesterday from the Haven on Breakaway.   It was a great cruise except for the embarkation at NOLA.  I've neve experienced such a mess.   We were in line for over an hour to get to the NCL/Haven check in point.  There were at least three/four check points along the line.  We had to show our passports, vaccination records, boarding pass, and COVID tests at each one.  Each point only had one or two people doing the checks.  We had been assigned an 11-1130 check in time and we arrived at 1130.  The rest of the cruise was fantastic and we booked another cruise on Prima.

Questions?