Never-Haven Cruiser sails in the Haven. Here are her thoughts.

[RocketMan275]

2 hours ago, Russiamomm said:

I agree on the walking past the lines, but sometimes it can’t be avoided.  We were in a 2BR Haven last September on the Joy.  The line to clear immigration in Portland literally spanned the length of the ship.  We were walked past the entire line to cut in front of everyone to speak with the DHS agent.  We got some smirks and heard some nasty comments, but the ship was not in a position to have a separate Haven exit to clear immigration.  
 

On the comment you got, there are no words.  It reminds me of being avoided at a BMW dealer a few years back.  Apparently based solely on my cut off jeans and a t-shirt they didn’t think I was able to afford the car and totally ignored me.  After 20 minutes I took myself to the Audi dealer.  They treated me like a queen.  I wrote them a check for the car that same day.  😂

It bothers me not to take advantage of the perks I've paid for.  I merely smile at those making those snide comments and continue on my way.  After all, they're wishing they were you.

[Ozzieru1e]

6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

It bothers me not to take advantage of the perks I've paid for.  I merely smile at those making those snide comments and continue on my way.  After all, they're wishing they were you.

Yes, if you paid for something take advantage of it.  That’s why when I stay in the Haven for the second time next year I plan to eat as many breakfast & dinners in the Haven restaurant; not to mention lunch on embarkation day.  I want filet mignon & lobster tails everyday!  In 2019 I won a bid for a Haven Courtyard Suite which was my first experience but I spent more time exploring the Escape ship & port in Bermuda.  I didn’t know how to fully embrace all the perks that comes with the Haven; but, that will not be the case the second go round. Happy cruising 😎 🍷

[amygutman]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

I guess one of the things in life is you can't (or shouldn't) assume things without prior knowledge. My wife and I save a lot of money by finding discounts on things and also I squirrel away whatever I make as a singer into my travel savings account. We can afford to fly business class some of the time thanks to that, but we always look around on the plane and say to each other "when are they gonna find out we're not supposed to be here?" LOL I know there are people who don't think twice about flying first class all of the time, but we never, ever lord things over on people. It's just classless. We still feel weird on MSC in the Yacht Club when they escort us everywhere.

@DCGuy64

😇This! Warmest Amy

[Ozzieru1e]

5 minutes ago, amygutman said:

@DCGuy64

😇This! Warmest Amy

Loved this scene😆

[DMH15]

1 hour ago, Russiamomm said:

Right there with you!  My mother could squeeze a dime until it screamed,  she thought me well.  Although I can now afford not to, I still shop the specials at the grocery stores and buy most of my clothes at WalMart, Costco or thrift stores.  Our kids tease me about it.  But I like to think that years of being careful with our money has paid off.  We can now afford to spend what we’ve saved on the things that really matter.  Helping out the kids, spoiling our grandson and cruising well and often.  😂.

And I hear you on the airfares!  I remember the days you could upgrade to first class on an international flight for 15,000 miles.  Those days are long gone.  (I’m still too cheap to pay outright for first class air.)

My mother had stories from growing up during the depression.  Whenever my sister and I complained about sharing a bedroom my mom asked us, “ how would you like to share a bedroom with your grandmother like I did”. LOL.  

 

She was a banker’s daughter and was always careful with money.  My dad used to say that my mother put Safeway out of business in our neighborhood because of her couponing skills.  
 

I live by this which she taught me… “ it’s not about the cost, but the value”.   Even in cruising in suites we shopped around for what we considered to be a price we could justify. 

[DMH15]

1 minute ago, Ozzieru1e said:

Loved this scene😆

The BEST!

[Smitheroo]

2 hours ago, DMH15 said:

If someone said that to me I would smile and say in my sweet, Sothern drawl, my brother’s favorite response to stupid questions, “Really”?  It is neither affirmative or negative and that gets their goat. 

I was expecting you to say "Bless Your Heart" lol

[DCGuy64]

13 hours ago, DMH15 said:

I live by this which she taught me… “ it’s not about the cost, but the value”.

Supposedly Oscar Wilde said something similar: "These days, people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing."

 

13 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

I was expecting you to say "Bless Your Heart"

So was I, 🤣

 

My wife used to watch Extreme Couponing for tips. We have a rule in this house: if it's not on sale AND we have a coupon, we don't buy it. Never, ever, ever pay full price. She's actually had managers at Safeway and CVS say "how am I supposed to make any money with all of your coupons"? Well, for starters, that's not my problem; how I manage MY money, is. And second, lots of people go into the supermarket and just buy stuff without looking at the price, because I've seen them do it. They're not going out of business, believe me.

[Smitheroo]

On 6/10/2023 at 7:54 PM, kismetique said:

I won't do it again. If I don't get to the port early enough to get on without having to pass everyone in line, I'll decline being paraded through and stand in line with everyone else. It was AWFUL!!!

Getting to pass everyone in line  is a perk they paid for.  Would you never fly first class because the economy people have to pass you already in your seat drinking your first cocktail?  Last time I flew on a plane that had a first class section with flat seats there was a man already sleeping in his.  However, one time I flew first class I was embarassed by the smell of freshly baked cookies wondering if it wafted down into the economy section.

 

On the other hand- I agree with you. We are allowed to remove perks i.e. the alcohol package and not pay service gratuities. So if we object to passing everyone in line we should have the option to omit that perk as well.  

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

On the other hand- I agree with you. We are allowed to remove perks i.e. the alcohol package and not pay service gratuities. So if we object to passing everyone in line we should have the option to omit that perk as well.  

Who is stopping you from joining the end of the line?

[DCGuy64]

For fun reading sometime, head over to Seatguru and/or the various FB groups dealing with Business Class. There's entitlement on a level I've never seen before. People will complain about the excruciatingly painful seats that are just too small, then explain they're like 11 feet tall, 😆. And then the folks who look down their noses at the "paltry" selection of French champagne or single malt Scotch onboard the aircraft. It must be rough going through life with all of us inferior mortals and our normal expectations. 🙄 I mean, there's a fine line between "I want what I paid for" and "it's all about me, don't you know that?"

[Smitheroo]

Just now, RocketMan275 said:

Who is stopping you from joining the end of the line?

I have never had to make this decision, it was someone else I was commenting on.

 

But to answer your question, it would be ackward if the rest of your group is being escorted ahead and you remain behind, you may never see that group again lol.   I guess I kind of implied a person wouldnt be *allowed* to join the end of the line. I realize that's not true, no one is stopping you although, like I said, it would feel very ackward and you would need to explain why because you would certainly be questioned by the leader of the escorted group.  

 

 

[justhappy]

I like the quote stating it’s not about the cost but the value.

That holds true for many people, while others are all about the splurge, they work hard  or are celebrating a special event and don’t care about the cost.

So of my 15 cruises on NCL so far, 5 have been in the Haven. Most times I felt the value for what I was looking for was there.

On my upcoming cruise, friends who asked us to go on this cruise with them originally booked Club Balcony suites as we did. However they feel this cruise is a bucket list one and one and done for them and decided to switch to a Haven suite. 
 They wanted us to upgrade together so we could be together in the Haven but I felt the cost was not there for the price, especially considering how often we would be off the ship on excursions.

At first I was perturbed that they chose to upgrade, and I know when they see the Encore’s Haven complex they will not want to leave it. And for what they paid they shouldn’t. They said they would hang with us but I told them they would be foolish to pay that much money and not use the Haven restaurant and amenities. We will be dining with them for 4 specialty dinners, as well as doing a few excursions together.

 My husband and I are retired and travel a lot, not only on cruises (this is our third cruise this year) and every month we are traveling on a trip somewhere from 3 days to 3 weeks so we try to make our vacation dollars stretch. I’d rather travel often than in style. We tell everyone who says going on a trip again?!, that we didn’t work all our life to sit home and rot in our old age. Plus you never know when life will happen and you become home bound.

  I’m sure again in the future we will choose a Haven suite but it will be a cruise that I can fully utilize the amenities to justify the cost.
And I won’t be hiding my keycard from view or staring at my feet as I walk to the front of the line, I paid for the privilege. Not sorry.

 A story about our first Haven stay, we were celebrating our 40th anniversary and decided to celebrate by booking our first Haven suite. One day getting back on the ship from a port that had no special Haven escort, two women in back of us noticed our room keys were a different design. We had them out in our hands as we were about to board. 
They asked why our keycards were different and I told them we were staying in the Haven. The attitude was  Oh aren’t you special. One of them said sarcastically, Oh that must be nice, and I replied yes it is very nice since we splurged to celebrate 40 years of marriage. They shut up and studied their feet. 

 

[RocketMan275]

45 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

I have never had to make this decision, it was someone else I was commenting on.

 

But to answer your question, it would be ackward if the rest of your group is being escorted ahead and you remain behind, you may never see that group again lol.   I guess I kind of implied a person wouldnt be *allowed* to join the end of the line. I realize that's not true, no one is stopping you although, like I said, it would feel very ackward and you would need to explain why because you would certainly be questioned by the leader of the escorted group.  

 

 

Then that person will  have to figure out which is the worst bit of ackwardness, to leave the group or to walk by the line.  

[DCGuy64]

9 minutes ago, justhappy said:

They asked why our keycards were different and I told them we were staying in the Haven. The attitude was  Oh aren’t you special. One of them said sarcastically, Oh that must be nice, and I replied yes it is very nice since we splurged to celebrate 40 years of marriage. They shut up and studied their feet. 

Haha, way to shut them down. 🙂

Here's what I propose: at embarkation, somebody from NCL asks all of the Haven guests to come forward and says "all of you who are spoiled rich people, stand on the left, all of you who scrimped and saved to be able to stay in the Haven, stand on the right." That way, the great unwashed will know whom to shun, and whom not to shun. 😊

[Smitheroo]

41 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Then that person will  have to figure out which is the worst bit of ackwardness, to leave the group or to walk by the line.  

true

[Smitheroo]

25 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Haha, way to shut them down. 🙂

Here's what I propose: at embarkation, somebody from NCL asks all of the Haven guests to come forward and says "all of you who are spoiled rich people, stand on the left, all of you who scrimped and saved to be able to stay in the Haven, stand on the right." That way, the great unwashed will know whom to shun, and whom not to shun. 😊

Funny!   

[Smitheroo]

58 minutes ago, justhappy said:

I like the quote stating it’s not about the cost but the value.

That holds true for many people, while others are all about the splurge, they work hard  or are celebrating a special event and don’t care about the cost.

So of my 15 cruises on NCL so far, 5 have been in the Haven. Most times I felt the value for what I was looking for was there.

On my upcoming cruise, friends who asked us to go on this cruise with them originally booked Club Balcony suites as we did. However they feel this cruise is a bucket list one and one and done for them and decided to switch to a Haven suite. 
 They wanted us to upgrade together so we could be together in the Haven but I felt the cost was not there for the price, especially considering how often we would be off the ship on excursions.

At first I was perturbed that they chose to upgrade, and I know when they see the Encore’s Haven complex they will not want to leave it. And for what they paid they shouldn’t. They said they would hang with us but I told them they would be foolish to pay that much money and not use the Haven restaurant and amenities. We will be dining with them for 4 specialty dinners, as well as doing a few excursions together.

 My husband and I are retired and travel a lot, not only on cruises (this is our third cruise this year) and every month we are traveling on a trip somewhere from 3 days to 3 weeks so we try to make our vacation dollars stretch. I’d rather travel often than in style. We tell everyone who says going on a trip again?!, that we didn’t work all our life to sit home and rot in our old age. Plus you never know when life will happen and you become home bound.

  I’m sure again in the future we will choose a Haven suite but it will be a cruise that I can fully utilize the amenities to justify the cost.
And I won’t be hiding my keycard from view or staring at my feet as I walk to the front of the line, I paid for the privilege. Not sorry.

 A story about our first Haven stay, we were celebrating our 40th anniversary and decided to celebrate by booking our first Haven suite. One day getting back on the ship from a port that had no special Haven escort, two women in back of us noticed our room keys were a different design. We had them out in our hands as we were about to board. 
They asked why our keycards were different and I told them we were staying in the Haven. The attitude was  Oh aren’t you special. One of them said sarcastically, Oh that must be nice, and I replied yes it is very nice since we splurged to celebrate 40 years of marriage. They shut up and studied their feet. 

 

It seems that sarcasm has become a way of life for some people  and may not even realize it has become their style.   First,  it was none of their business why your card was different.  Then, their comment was  out of line.  That might be something you would say to someone you knew who knew you were just teasing. 

[MsTabbyKats]

Here's our story:

My husband grew up poor...and he grew old rich....thanks to me being a value shopper and him being "frugal".

He said he'd "never have a butler"....but at 88, after colon cancer surgery I decided he needed one (or, let's say I needed one for him).

So I splurged on an MSC Inside YC.  It was like heaven.  The Haven doesn't offer what he really liked about YC.

Now he's feeling a little better and says "why do I need the butler....I like to be with the people".

We're gonna be on the Escape....regular balcony....on 9/3.  This cruise was booked a long time ago.  I'm waiting to hear how much he likes "being with the people"....when he can't get his freshly grilled fish poolside!!!!

(PS...we're in a balcony YC in April...whether he likes it or not!)

 

If you can afford it....go for it.  When you get older, you'll regret not doing it sooner.

 

[Agent999]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

She's actually had managers at Safeway and CVS say "how am I supposed to make any money with all of your coupons"?

 

Sorry, but given the way that coupons/discounts work in the stores, I highly doubt that managers would have said this. Unless, of course, they were completely joking.

 

When a customer gives a coupon to the store, the store then sends those coupons back to the manufacturer (usually via a clearinghouse) and then the store is reimbursed for the entire cost.

 

You could also see where items in a store have a (for example) "Save 50 cents" sticker on them. The way this works is that the sales rep comes into the store to put the stickers on the inventory. If they were to put this sticker on 50 individual items, the rep will write a $25 check to the store on the spot to reimburse the store in advance for the discount.

 

Either way, the store gets all of their money. Customers using coupons doesn't have a negative affect on the store's profits.

[HBCcruiser]

On 6/5/2023 at 2:44 PM, JGmf said:

We pivoted.  We've enjoyed the Haven Lite, as @Sthrngary has dubbed it: get Vibe passes, upgrade drink package if you like, and enjoy the specialty restaurants.  Way more economical!

Same here. The Haven prices on some cruises are astronomical. On our upcoming NYE cruise on the Bliss we will be deploying the Haven Lite strategy. There are 6 of us going on this cruise (3 cabins) and we were all able to score Vibe passes, additional specialty dining (Platinum members) and upgraded drink package. Club balconies on this cruise are $3500 oer cabin compared to the Haven which is going for $13,000+ per cabin. Thanks @Sthrngary for sharing this great alternative to the Haven strategy. 😊

[Sthrngary]

7 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Same here. The Haven prices on some cruises are astronomical. On our upcoming NYE cruise on the Bliss we will be deploying the Haven Lite strategy. There are 6 of us going on this cruise (3 cabins) and we were all able to score Vibe passes, additional specialty dining (Platinum members) and upgraded drink package. Club balconies on this cruise are $3500 oer cabin compared to the Haven which is going for $13,000+ per cabin. Thanks @Sthrngary for sharing this great alternative to the Haven strategy. 😊

@HBCcruiser My pleasure.  With all good things comes some downside.  Five years ago, I wrote a couple of OP-ED's.  The Secrets to the Haven and The NCL Premium Plus Beverage Package.  Both gave good information on how to get as much value from the Haven and the PLUS as possible.  

 

Now the Haven Prices are as you stated, astronomical and the Plus Beverage Package have changed some of the rules.  That is why I did the Haven Lite Strategy.  I found the service received in the VIBE Beach Club to be superior to the Haven Sundeck.  Recently, my lovely bride joined me in the Vibe and she said, this is the place to be on a big ship like this.  

 

I love, love, love the Haven concept.  I will always be one of it's largest fans.  Yet my next cruise is not on NCL, Not in the Haven.  Yet I have all the same benefits, larger suite, butler and a lot more amenities.  All for a cost per day this is far less than the Haven.  Will I book a Haven Suite again? Absolutely.  Not until they get real on the fares.  NCL is not a luxury brand, it is a Mainstream Cruise Brand.  When you can go on a Premium-Plus/Luxury or in some cases Ultra-Luxury Cruise instead of the NCL Haven, you have to consider the options.  That is what a value proposition is all about. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[graphicguy]

I’ve read some crazy fares for the Haven.  Frankly, I don’t understand how or why some pay what they do, knowing with a little searching and understanding, they would have been better served adjusting their plans, or dates, or cabin arrangements, or ship, etc.

 

Granted….I’m an incessant cruise shopper.  So, I have a generally good feel on deals for any cruise line.

 

But, anything over $5K in total for a 7 day Haven Suite on NCL is a hard stop for me.  It’s a hard stop for Celebrity’s Retreat Suites.  It’s a hard stop for Royal’s Star Suites.  It’s a hard stop for MSC’s Yacht Club.  I’ve sailed Celebrity’s Retreat (2X).  I’ve sailed MSC’s Yacht Club (2X).  I have sailed NCL’s Haven (4X).  I HAVE NOT sailed Royal’s Star Class…mainly because their pricing is nowhere close to the fares on the other 3.

 

Come to think of it, I’ve never spent more than $4,800 all in (Celebrity Sky Suite in their Retreat).  Mostly, I’m in that $4K-$4.5K range.

 

Are any of these products better than the other?  I can’t say that.  They are all different, but can’t say any of them are heads above the other as a blanket statement.  

 

Some may do one thing or the other better than their competitors, but their competitors can say the same.

 

Sometimes NCL Haven is less expensive than the Retreat or Yacht Club…sometimes they’re cheaper than the Haven.  

 

Personally, I prefer then Haven over the Yacht Club and consider it a draw with the Retreat.  Someone else?  I’m sure they’d view it differently.

 

Bottom line, on any given itinerary, for any given length, on any given cruise line, on any given ship, trying to compare apples to apples is a chore.  Are the ships new?  Are the suite cabins similar?  Are the perks similar?  All good questions…and many others can be asked.

 

I enjoy doing it, though.  

[DMH15]

4 hours ago, justhappy said:

I like the quote stating it’s not about the cost but the value.

That holds true for many people, while others are all about the splurge, they work hard  or are celebrating a special event and don’t care about the cost.

So of my 15 cruises on NCL so far, 5 have been in the Haven. Most times I felt the value for what I was looking for was there.

On my upcoming cruise, friends who asked us to go on this cruise with them originally booked Club Balcony suites as we did. However they feel this cruise is a bucket list one and one and done for them and decided to switch to a Haven suite. 
 They wanted us to upgrade together so we could be together in the Haven but I felt the cost was not there for the price, especially considering how often we would be off the ship on excursions.

At first I was perturbed that they chose to upgrade, and I know when they see the Encore’s Haven complex they will not want to leave it. And for what they paid they shouldn’t. They said they would hang with us but I told them they would be foolish to pay that much money and not use the Haven restaurant and amenities. We will be dining with them for 4 specialty dinners, as well as doing a few excursions together.

 My husband and I are retired and travel a lot, not only on cruises (this is our third cruise this year) and every month we are traveling on a trip somewhere from 3 days to 3 weeks so we try to make our vacation dollars stretch. I’d rather travel often than in style. We tell everyone who says going on a trip again?!, that we didn’t work all our life to sit home and rot in our old age. Plus you never know when life will happen and you become home bound.

  I’m sure again in the future we will choose a Haven suite but it will be a cruise that I can fully utilize the amenities to justify the cost.
And I won’t be hiding my keycard from view or staring at my feet as I walk to the front of the line, I paid for the privilege. Not sorry.

 A story about our first Haven stay, we were celebrating our 40th anniversary and decided to celebrate by booking our first Haven suite. One day getting back on the ship from a port that had no special Haven escort, two women in back of us noticed our room keys were a different design. We had them out in our hands as we were about to board. 
They asked why our keycards were different and I told them we were staying in the Haven. The attitude was  Oh aren’t you special. One of them said sarcastically, Oh that must be nice, and I replied yes it is very nice since we splurged to celebrate 40 years of marriage. They shut up and studied their feet. 

 

My mom and I had a suite on The NCL Sun for a 14 night south American cruise.  There were other family / friends who were not in a suite. It was quite doable.  Of course there was no Haven area.  We would dine in Moderno for breakfast and lunch with suite access and meet up after.  We would eat dinner together in Main or specialty.  We had all our tours, spa, trivia, etc. together.  

 

We had a huge aft balcony so we hosted guests a few times on sea days.  It was my honor and priviledge to set up for guests.  I had purchased a bar set up and was allowed to bring a mini blender on board.  A few times I ordered snacks which I was happy to pay for and I remembered to thank the butler with a generous tip.  So, I was able to share.   The same way I was introduced to The Haven was through friends.  
 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by DMH15
Added a word

[DCGuy64]

2 hours ago, Agent999 said:

Sorry, but given the way that coupons/discounts work in the stores, I highly doubt that managers would have said this. Unless, of course, they were completely joking.

Well, that's the story my wife told me when she came back from the store. I have no reason to believe she was lying, and I think I know my wife a little bit better than you do. 😉 It's possible he was joking, but she didn't say it sounded like he was joking. Mind you, my wife is a die-hard couponer. Have you ever been in line at a store and there's an announcement over the loudspeaker like "manager on duty, please come to register 4 for an override"? That would be my wife. When we were at a Safeway the other day, she turned around as we were walking out to say one of the discounts hadn't been applied, so we got our $3.07 refunded to the card. Yes, she's that kind of customer. Sometimes the store has to pay her back due to multiple coupons and discounts. What you say might be true about the store getting reimbursed, but that doesn't mean the store manager didn't say what I was told he said.