Whats the cheapest way to get a haven room?

[Laszlo]

On 9/25/2023 at 3:48 PM, justacruiser1 said:

Lets all share some tips and tricks to get a haven room. The prices fluctuate all the time on the website.

Have a family member win the lottery. On our last sailing on the Gem we were in an Aft suite cabin. 2nd or 3rd day at sea we were having breakfast and we ended up talking to a family next to us. Long story short, the family (large one) booked a back to back cruise, 14 days total. They had (2) of the 3 Bedroom Garden Villas and (2) 2 Bedroom Haven Cabins. I did some quick math in my head at the time and figured it was right around 100K, the family had 18 members. The cruise was a gift from one of the family members who two years before won 80 million in a lottery. This was the 2nd cruise like this they had taken that year

[graphicguy]

OP…I think your questions can be best answered via the NCL WEB site.  Here’s how to bid on an upgrade (if offered to you)…

 

https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/content/upgrade-advantage-terms#:~:text=Upon receipt of an Invitation,bid up to two levels

 

There is no “upsell”, per se.  You either purchase a Haven fare when booking, or you book another cabin (I believe the minimum category to get an offer to upgrade to the Haven is a Balcony cabin) and be invited by NCL to bid.

 

Here are the categories of Haven Suites and what they include….

 

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/cruise-accommodations/the-haven?cid=PS_DIG_NA_BRP_GOO_NA_NA_NA_NA_NA_NAM&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote95V7uKRHWBIhYywW_aMHJrZHDdTZqxlcGqhO8ayoLvnKYfgy-xRqMaAlC3EALw_wcB

 

I think this covers all your questions.  As mentioned before, there are no “tricks” to getting a Haven Suite.  You either book them outright, or you bid for upgrades.  Just a personal note, the upgrade path to the Haven from a lower cabin category is rare, and it’s not necessarily the least expensive way to book the Haven.

 

Don’t know what you’ve already spent or who offered you to spend even more for an upgrade.  But, no one here can answer the question for you about whether it’s a “good deal”.  If you already booked a cabin for $7K and was offered to upgrade for $3,200 for a Haven Spa Suite for example, I’d probably consider that a hard pass.  But, that’s up to you.

[debbyfelse1963]

18 hours ago, luvtoride said:

Thanks. The view from the bedroom doesn’t bother me. The Haven looks  great.   Is there a dedicated Haven elevator to get up to the haven facilities on the 18/19 decks?  

Yes there is when you board and they escort you to the Haven Loung.  Inside the lounge there is a glass elevator to and from the 19th floor.  The Haven on this ship is wonderful. We did the Transatlantic last November in a 2 bedroom.  

[HBCcruiser]

21 hours ago, jingle5616 said:

This won't be popular.......  The best way is to ignore the Haven.  Do yourself a favor and buy a balcony or mini suite of your choice, purchase admittance to the adult vibe beach club.  You've save thousands, will have a nice area without kids (The haven is kid packed every time I've been there), and the bar service will be better than the Haven.    Nomex applied......

We are doing exactly this on our NYE cruise on the Bliss. Haven prices are high for this cruise plus we are traveling with 14 people. We opted for the "Haven-lite" strategy described by @Sthrngary - Club Balcony suite + Vibe + Free at Sea Plus and we should be good to go! Yes, I will miss the Haven but we would not really use the facilities with our friends in the Gen Pop. 

[mendi]

22 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

With that deck, the main negatives are the forward view from the bedroom (you'll mostly see the bow of the ship and the crew area) and the walk to the elevators. You'll probably still enjoy the suite, though. 

Just got off the Escape last week with a balcony on Deck 9 Forward Starboard. 9718. My first time in 13 cruises being forward, very forward. Am in good shape so the LONG walks to the elevators/stairs not really bothersome. What did amaze me was how noisy the anchor setup and drops were on tender stops. WOW! Our cabin shook like it was in an earthquake and for a lot longer than I thought it took an anchor to settle (6 a.m. in Newport and a bit later in Bar Harbor). But the large balcony with full table 2 Chairs and sun loungers made it worthwhile for rest of cruise at a regular balcony rate. Minus the noise the trip was great.

 

[luvtoride]

On 9/26/2023 at 6:19 PM, JGmf said:

 

We may be on the same 5-day Bermuda cruise in November.  I'm not in Haven, but have been many times before.  Haven is OK, but not worth it cost/benefit-wise....in my opinion. 

 

Best thing is the restaurant, however, so take full advantage.  Enjoy your trip!!!

Thanks JGmf.  We’re on The Escape departing 11/10 from NY.   How do you figure if “the Haven is not worth it”?  What cost differential (or %age) is a Haven cabin vs a similar class non-Haven cabin usually? 

I just priced out an “aft facing club balcony suite” for 2 vs what our cost for The Haven Cabin is and the Haven was 25% more.  That doesn’t seem too bad to me.  We are not big drinkers so that aspect isn’t important to us.  The other Haven facilities like the private pool, sun deck, dining room and concierge service seem worth it for that cost differential.  

[RD64]

4 hours ago, luvtoride said:

Thanks JGmf.  We’re on The Escape departing 11/10 from NY.   How do you figure if “the Haven is not worth it”?  What cost differential (or %age) is a Haven cabin vs a similar class non-Haven cabin usually? 

I just priced out an “aft facing club balcony suite” for 2 vs what our cost for The Haven Cabin is and the Haven was 25% more.  That doesn’t seem too bad to me.  We are not big drinkers so that aspect isn’t important to us.  The other Haven facilities like the private pool, sun deck, dining room and concierge service seem worth it for that cost differential.  

Only you can determine whether or not something is “worth it”. Everybody has a different cost value proposition. Ask 1000 people and you will get 2000 different answers.

[graphicguy]

7 hours ago, luvtoride said:

Thanks JGmf.  We’re on The Escape departing 11/10 from NY.   How do you figure if “the Haven is not worth it”?  What cost differential (or %age) is a Haven cabin vs a similar class non-Haven cabin usually? 

I just priced out an “aft facing club balcony suite” for 2 vs what our cost for The Haven Cabin is and the Haven was 25% more.  That doesn’t seem too bad to me.  We are not big drinkers so that aspect isn’t important to us.  The other Haven facilities like the private pool, sun deck, dining room and concierge service seem worth it for that cost differential.  

I have put a ceiling on what I will pay for the Haven.  First, I don’t do shorter cruises, as they are a  way different “vibe” and guest list than cruises 7 nites or longer.

 

I’ve taken 5 Haven Cruises….all on either the Breakaway or the Getaway.  All were in the Haven Spa Suite.  4 as a solo and 1 with my (then) wife.  I obviously love the Haven experience…from the exclusive restaurant, to their lounge, to the bar, to the pool, to the Capt’s dinner, to the concierge taking care of ALL of my dining, excursion, entertainment plans, etc. 

 

I have the 6th Haven Cruise coming up next week on the Epic for 11 nites in the Mediterranean.

 

Nor sure how or why, but I was able to score a 2 BR Suite for $100 more than a Haven Spa Suite.

 

All of them were well below $5K.  Probably on average, they were between $4,400-$4,600.  Wouldn’t have mattered if they were as a solo or as a couple.  Aside from paying for tips and fees, the fares would be the same.

 

So, what price is worth it?  To me, anything below $5K.

 

But, I also have price ceilings on other cabin types, too.  And, that extends out to price ceilings on different cruise lines and different ships.

 

Yeah…I have way too much time on my hands!!!!!

Edited September 28, 2023 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

Just another "tip" OP...keep an eye peeled for NCL sales...particularly ones focused on a specific itinerary or geographic area.  They had GREAT sales on Alaska and Europe this year in the form of targeted coupons.

 

Not sure who got the coupons, as it seems not everyone did.  But, hedge your bet and sign up for a Latitudes account.  While it is a PITA with much of their marketing, allow NCL to email you with offers.  Every once in a while something comes through that is well worth a look-see!

[Russiamomm]

2 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Just another "tip" OP...keep an eye peeled for NCL sales...particularly ones focused on a specific itinerary or geographic area.  They had GREAT sales on Alaska and Europe this year in the form of targeted coupons.

 

Not sure who got the coupons, as it seems not everyone did.  But, hedge your bet and sign up for a Latitudes account.  While it is a PITA with much of their marketing, allow NCL to email you with offers.  Every once in a while something comes through that is well worth a look-see!

Excellent point.  A few months ago two coupons somehow showed up in my account.  50% off for Alaska and 20% off for European sailings in 2023.  Shortly thereafter the Epic changed plans and a TA was added for December.  I was able to apply the 20% off coupon to it, on top of the 10% military discount.  Made the 2 BR Haven more than reasonable.  The price also dropped more than $1000 before final payment and we were able to reprice it twice.  

[JGmf]

10 hours ago, luvtoride said:

I just priced out an “aft facing club balcony suite” for 2 vs what our cost for The Haven Cabin is and the Haven was 25% more.

 

As others have said, value or worth for Haven versus non-Haven is subjective, but generally, I would that a 25% differential for the example you provided above is a good deal.  That would be worth it to me.

 

[dock]

When I look at Haven, prices are well over C$18000. Prima( aware of the poor reviews , but want to do both places in one trip)Iceland/Norway.

Oceania Marina is less in the same time frame for a Penthouse. 

Are y’all getting good rates through agents or with NCL or is this just an expensive route?
 

At these price points will book a balcony and specialty dining every other night , spa pass etc.
 Thanks.

[wolft927]

Haven Prices have recently got out of control with some exceptions. We have our 4th Haven Cruise in January on the Escape. We are giving MSC a try on the Seascape because we were able to get a Yacht club Inside Suite for $2900 which was cheaper then a Balcony on NCL. We will see how it goes. 

[luckyinpa]

introduce pandemic. wait for sailing to open. then book. i got a haven 2 br for 2100 pp. those prices today are a tad higher!

[Isabella Benjamin]

We were in the Haven in May for a 4 day cruise.  A two bedroom ran us $1706/per person after we applied our credit card points.  

[complawyer]

you can try and beg (but that probably wont work) if youre offered a chance to bid for an upgrade, you can  and try and hope for the best.

 

there really is no cheap way to get an actual haven suite. think of it like this: if there was, everybody would be trying to do so, and the haven concept would lose a great deal of it's exclusivity.

 

my dear old mother once told me "son, you get what you pay for"

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, complawyer said:

there really is no cheap way to get an actual haven suite. think of it like this: if there was, everybody would be trying to do so, and the haven concept would lose a great deal of it's exclusivity.

It's not the exclusivity.  If there was a cheap way to get a haven with everybody doing it, no one would get a haven.

[justacruiser1]

okay, so I booked a non haven room and called in and now got a offer of 1700 for a haven room. Free additional guest but I need to pay port fees. Should I go for it?

[RocketMan275]

15 hours ago, justacruiser1 said:

okay, so I booked a non haven room and called in and now got a offer of 1700 for a haven room. Free additional guest but I need to pay port fees. Should I go for it?

That question can only be answere with knowledge of your personal preferences and financial situation.