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

[knscruiser322]

1 minute ago, omahabob said:

Does the Behind the Scenes tour cost anything?

 

Last I checked in my NCL account, it shows it as $129 pp. This is on the NCL Joy.

[omahabob]

Thanks. Apparently we can't book it until November, and it isn't showing a price, unless you count $0 as a price. We'd be happy with that.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, omahabob said:

 

Forward facing? Make sure you give us a wind report if it is. A few people seem to be concerned with that lately.

Just describing their previous experiences with the DOS suites.  I would never book another DOS after that experience.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, omahabob said:

 

Forward facing? Make sure you give us a wind report if it is. A few people seem to be concerned with that lately.

Just describing their previous experiences with the DOS suites.  I would never book another forward facing DOS after that experience.  BTW, this was in the Caribbean and there was no 'weather' to speak of.  

[Sthrngary]

Allow me to share on two (2) situations.  First, the Haven 2-bedroom Family villa.  this is an extremely nice suite.  The second bedroom is just fine with a topper. The balcony is about the size of a Penthouse. The two-bedrooms have a smaller and larger veranda. Deck 18 is the smaller one and Deck 17 is the larger one.  The larger veranda has a very small area that extends in front of the shower.  No Two Bedroom Family villa are NOT in the bow of the ship to my knowledge.  They are on the sides. 

 

On (H2) Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony.  There were only two of these puppies on the ship. They are in deed located above the Horizon Observation Lounge. They are indeed located in the front Bow of the ship where the veranda goes around the the side of the ship.  I was in one on the Joy for my Anniversary with my adult Children end of 2022.  I got this suite by being cancelled many times due to covid, took 125% FCC, had a 20% off coupon which was given after the third cancellation.  I LOVED this suite.  I even did a YouTube video on it.  This was without a doubt the nicest suite I have ever stayed in.  It was HUGE, it came with three bottles of spirits and all the mixers one could ever need.  When the ship was going at full speed, the balcony was windy for sure.  It did not stop us from enjoying it at all.  If the wind got to you, you had two choices.  You could go around the side which had a wind door and problem solved.  You could also go to the balcony connected to the Master Bedroom suite which was completely blocked by the wind. 

 

My family is very hard on me because they don't like cruising as I do.  I have never had a time where we all were so happy with everything as that 7-day cruise.  I enjoyed the experience so much being on the Bow that I just upgraded my upcoming trip on Oceania Cruises to a Vista Suite about the same size as the Owners Suite on the Joy in the same location (Bow) of the ship. We are actually, the deck above the Captains bridge.  

 

Cruise well everyone and enjoy every moment. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Sthrngary
Because my spelling is awful

[Treasure Hunter]

Yes but it isn’t any good anymore. On Princess we had the Captain , strawberries and Champagne while he showed us on charts where we were going. On NCL they scheduled our tour while the Captain was busy giving a talk in the theater. We saw half what we expected and there were endless waiting around. I don’t recommend. 

[GALSews]

1 hour ago, omahabob said:

Does the Behind the Scenes tour cost anything?

Depends on whether you get the full one or the Platinum and up Latitude Rewards one. The latter is free, although the captain gets to say whether or not there is a tour and on the Jun15-25the sailing of the Prima, the captain apparently said "No"

[omahabob]

It's listed as an activity for my cruise next Spring, maybe because I'm in the Haven.

[omahabob]

44 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

....No Two Bedroom Family villa are NOT in the bow of the ship to my knowledge.  They are on the sides....

 

There are three on deck 17 of the Epic.

[surfclam2003]

Just upgraded to a 2 BR family villa on the Epic for an 11 night transatlantic. I have read that you get bottles of liquor for a 2 bedroom garden villa. Is it the same perk for family and garden? Very excited. Haven has been on our bucket list and having 8 sea days makes it worth the price.

Thanks for any advise😃😃

[graphicguy]

4 hours ago, KangCruiser said:

Yay! You are going to love it!! 
 

Edited to add the question….will you also add the spa pass now? Inquiring minds want to know 🤣

Had to give up the Spa Pass.  Will see whether I add it!  We only have one sea day out of 11!  Will

probably start a “live” review if there’s enough interest…with pics!

[Sthrngary]

6 hours ago, surfclam2003 said:

Just upgraded to a 2 BR family villa on the Epic for an 11 night transatlantic. I have read that you get bottles of liquor for a 2 bedroom garden villa. Is it the same perk for family and garden? Very excited. Haven has been on our bucket list and having 8 sea days makes it worth the price.

Thanks for any advise😃😃

No, spirits bottles are only for Deluxe Owners Suites in Haven

[Hadacareer]

10 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Allow me to share on two (2) situations.  First, the Haven 2-bedroom Family villa.  this is an extremely nice suite.  The second bedroom is just fine with a topper. The balcony is about the size of a Penthouse. The two-bedrooms have a smaller and larger veranda. Deck 18 is the smaller one and Deck 17 is the larger one.  The larger veranda has a very small area that extends in front of the shower.  No Two Bedroom Family villa are NOT in the bow of the ship to my knowledge.  They are on the sides. 

 

On (H2) Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony.  There were only two of these puppies on the ship. They are in deed located above the Horizon Observation Lounge. They are indeed located in the front Bow of the ship where the veranda goes around the the side of the ship.  I was in one on the Joy for my Anniversary with my adult Children end of 2022.  I got this suite by being cancelled many times due to covid, took 125% FCC, had a 20% off coupon which was given after the third cancellation.  I LOVED this suite.  I even did a YouTube video on it.  This was without a doubt the nicest suite I have ever stayed in.  It was HUGE, it came with three bottles of spirits and all the mixers one could ever need.  When the ship was going at full speed, the balcony was windy for sure.  It did not stop us from enjoying it at all.  If the wind got to you, you had two choices.  You could go around the side which had a wind door and problem solved.  You could also go to the balcony connected to the Master Bedroom suite which was completely blocked by the wind. 

 

My family is very hard on me because they don't like cruising as I do.  I have never had a time where we all were so happy with everything as that 7-day cruise.  I enjoyed the experience so much being on the Bow that I just upgraded my upcoming trip on Oceania Cruises to a Vista Suite about the same size as the Owners Suite on the Joy in the same location (Bow) of the ship. We are actually, the deck above the Captains bridge.  

 

Cruise well everyone and enjoy every moment. 

 

[Hadacareer]

Just now, Hadacareer said:

 

Epic has them on 16 and 17…but they are enclosed balconies, which helps with the wind.

[graphicguy]

14 hours ago, omahabob said:

 

Forward facing? Make sure you give us a wind report if it is. A few people seem to be concerned with that lately.

I have to look at the cabin number.  It’s not forward facing, though.  It’s one of the suites on the side of the ship.  I know it’s in the hallway near the Haven Lounge area according to the outlines I looked at.

 

 There were only like 10 left on deck 16 and 17….six on one deck-4 on the other deck.  Haven Spa suites were sold out.  So, mine just opened up.

 

Not sure about the rest of the ship, but it looks like the Haven will sell out with only 10-11 Haven Suites left for booking.

 

Really looking forward to this (once I get rid of this “guilt” complex), as the Epic is supposed to have the best Haven in all of the fleet, and it’s just been redone.  So, should be fun!

[RocketMan275]

9 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Really looking forward to this (once I get rid of this “guilt” complex), as the Epic is supposed to have the best Haven in all of the fleet, and it’s just been redone.  So, should be fun!

No reason to feel guilty.  You paid for everything you're getting.  

You might as well feel guilty because you're on a cruise and others are not.

[Sugar Magnolia]

11 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Really looking forward to this (once I get rid of this “guilt” complex), as the Epic is supposed to have the best Haven in all of the fleet, and it’s just been redone.  So, should be fun!

 

You will have a great time. The Epic Haven is the best. Only minor issue I had was strange noises coming from above at around 3:00 am; I was on deck 17. I convinced myself that Deck 18 was haunted by former happy passengers just having a good time on the sun deck.

Any other explanation would have annoyed me.

 

[Chesneygirl]

14 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Allow me to share on two (2) situations.  First, the Haven 2-bedroom Family villa.  this is an extremely nice suite.  The second bedroom is just fine with a topper. The balcony is about the size of a Penthouse. The two-bedrooms have a smaller and larger veranda. Deck 18 is the smaller one and Deck 17 is the larger one.  The larger veranda has a very small area that extends in front of the shower.  No Two Bedroom Family villa are NOT in the bow of the ship to my knowledge.  They are on the sides. 

 

On (H2) Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony.  There were only two of these puppies on the ship. They are in deed located above the Horizon Observation Lounge. They are indeed located in the front Bow of the ship where the veranda goes around the the side of the ship.  I was in one on the Joy for my Anniversary with my adult Children end of 2022.  I got this suite by being cancelled many times due to covid, took 125% FCC, had a 20% off coupon which was given after the third cancellation.  I LOVED this suite.  I even did a YouTube video on it.  This was without a doubt the nicest suite I have ever stayed in.  It was HUGE, it came with three bottles of spirits and all the mixers one could ever need.  When the ship was going at full speed, the balcony was windy for sure.  It did not stop us from enjoying it at all.  If the wind got to you, you had two choices.  You could go around the side which had a wind door and problem solved.  You could also go to the balcony connected to the Master Bedroom suite which was completely blocked by the wind. 

 

My family is very hard on me because they don't like cruising as I do.  I have never had a time where we all were so happy with everything as that 7-day cruise.  I enjoyed the experience so much being on the Bow that I just upgraded my upcoming trip on Oceania Cruises to a Vista Suite about the same size as the Owners Suite on the Joy in the same location (Bow) of the ship. We are actually, the deck above the Captains bridge.  

 

Cruise well everyone and enjoy every moment. 

Thank you for this! We recently booked the DOS with large balcony on deck 17 of the Escape for a Caribbean cruise in January 2024.  We will be a family of 6 in this suite (all adults). 

I'm really looking forward to that large balcony! 

[Sthrngary]

33 minutes ago, Chesneygirl said:

Thank you for this! We recently booked the DOS with large balcony on deck 17 of the Escape for a Caribbean cruise in January 2024.  We will be a family of 6 in this suite (all adults). 

I'm really looking forward to that large balcony! 

@Chesneygirl I am very excited for you.  Here are some comments about the DOS.  Please understand although the sf looked the same as my suite on the NCL Joy it could be different.  

 

This room was spectacular and we were supposed to have five adults.  However, my daughters and her significant other had a falling out so it was just four.  Have your butler put a topper on the Couch Bed and the Second Bedroom Bed.  With that, neither my adult son (on the Couch Bed) or my daughter in the second bedroom had any issue. I can not tell if the Second bedroom has a Trundle bed that comes down from the wall or a Couch Bed.  In the Joy, it was a Trundle Bed.  The second bedroom bath room seem to be shorter to accommodate children but not an issue. 

 

When you get into your suite or when contacted pre-cruise by the Haven Desk, you have three bottles of spirits or wine.  We had the Premium Plus Beverage Package so I packed the bottles and took them home.  The butler will also replace all your soda's and mixers complementary which is very unusual for a Main Stream cruise brand. Our first bottle of "REAL" French Champagne was spoiled so if this happens to you, have your butler get you another one.  It is no issue. Storage is insane so look in every area.  My wife found even more storage when we were leaving to go home.  

 

The show stopper is the veranda.  Here is what I did.  I had the pre-cruise haven desk order me some extra lounge chairs.  It was done when I arrived day one.  If when sailing it gets two windy, you should have a side deck with a glass door to limit the wind.  You may even have a third veranda off the Master bedroom.  

 

I am sure you have search YouTube for the Owners Suite on your ship.  You can see my video as well from the Joy.  As I have said so many times, this 7-day cruise with my adult children was the best of my 30 plus cruises.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[RocketMan275]

59 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

When you get into your suite or when contacted pre-cruise by the Haven Desk, you have three bottles of spirits or wine.  We had the Premium Plus Beverage Package so I packed the bottles and took them home. 

Did you fly and how did you pack those bottles.

BTW, my DOS had the same wind blocks on the sides.  Made no difference.

[Sthrngary]

46 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Did you fly and how did you pack those bottles.

BTW, my DOS had the same wind blocks on the sides.  Made no difference.

@RocketMan275 On the bottles, I got one of those bottle boxes from the shop on-board and put the bottles in those.  Just like the old days.

 

On the wind.  Your experience and mine were different.  That is not unusual.  As a matter of fact, I would be surprised if our experiences were exactly the same.  Along with cruising is the simple fact that the weather, water and other things change everyone's experiences from one cruise to the next.  

 

A GREAT example of this is this thread.  One person says "Once you go Haven you can't go back." Yet another says, "I got a Haven Suite with a cheap upgrade bid and it was average at best."  Those kinds of differences is what keeps cruising fresh for me.  

 

My upcoming cruise when my suite is in the Bow of the ship again, will be very much Port Intensive.  It is in the Mediterranean for 10 days.  I am HOPING the ship will never really go full speed at night however I also know many days in November will have a high likelihood of rain.  I am also HOPING that since the ship will dock at some nice ports because it is a smaller ship, my wife and two friends joining will be able to have breakfast on the veranda.  Yet, as I said above, the weather may not cooperate.  Realistic Expectations on my part. 

 

Friend, I hope you are well and we meet each other on a ship soon.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[RocketMan275]

13 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@RocketMan275 On the bottles, I got one of those bottle boxes from the shop on-board and put the bottles in those.  Just like the old days.

....

Friend, I hope you are well and we meet each other on a ship soon.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Those are boxes for individual bottles or do they hold more than one?

Did you just ask the shop keeper?

I've been thinking of getting some of those wine diaper thingies advertised on Amazon.

 

Our next cruise is in a DOS but it's aft facing on Prima.

Prima in Feb 2024 and 2bdrm on Encore in Jan 2025.

Love to see you there.

[Sthrngary]

13 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Those are boxes for individual bottles or do they hold more than one?

Did you just ask the shop keeper?

I got a box for four and bought a nice Whisky on-board to fill it all in.

 

14 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I've been thinking of getting some of those wine diaper thingies advertised on Amazon.

That is a GREAT idea.  Really, great idea. Depends work for me so kind of the same thing, LOL.

 

15 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Our next cruise is in a DOS but it's aft facing on Prima.

Prima in Feb 2024 and 2bdrm on Encore in Jan 2025.

Now you are just rubbing it in.  Now that is going to be one hell of an experience on the Prima.  Also, the Encore is over the top great.  I considered the Viva when selecting my upcoming Mediterranean cruise.  It was 9 days instead of 10 and the cost to me was substantially higher so I choose else where. 

 

I hope you will do a detailed review and post it here after both your cruises.  I and many others would enjoy your feedback.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[RocketMan275]

9 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

I got a box for four and bought a nice Whisky on-board to fill it all in.

 

That is a GREAT idea.  Really, great idea. Depends work for me so kind of the same thing, LOL.

 

Now you are just rubbing it in.  Now that is going to be one hell of an experience on the Prima.  Also, the Encore is over the top great.  I considered the Viva when selecting my upcoming Mediterranean cruise.  It was 9 days instead of 10 and the cost to me was substantially higher so I choose else where. 

 

I hope you will do a detailed review and post it here after both your cruises.  I and many others would enjoy your feedback.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

Actually, I'm the jealous one.  My wife was born German and has no interest in European cruises.  Also, we have two poodles, brothers from the same litter, and there's no way she would put them in a kennel for that lenght of time.   I wouldn't really enjoy the flights to Europe either.  Like you I lived on planes for many  years. 

I'm planning on the Premium Plus so I have no need to crack those three bottles. I'll just bring them home.  

Really looking forword to those two cruises.  We don't have too many left at our age.

[Sthrngary]

19 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I wouldn't really enjoy the flights to Europe either.  Like you I lived on planes for many  years. 

Well I just crushed al of my saved air miles for this flight.  Not so much for me, more for my lovely bride.  She has never gone Business Class and only went to Europe once's decades ago. I got lucky and on my outbound flight we grabbed a "Delta One Suite" which even for me is unusual.  On the way back, it is the newer "Delta One".  I will really enjoy seeing her have the time of her life on those flights.  

 

Sadly, those point being gone makes this a "One and Done" kind of trip.  I am lucky to have my adult children that live two blocks away from me and they have "Dog Duty" of my 6 year old, HIGHLY reactive French Bulldog.  I know how guilty we both feel about leaving him home, just like you guys.  Dogs are better than people sometimes.  JMHO.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.