Haven questions

[jjduck]

We are in the very early stages of exploring Encore for Alaska next year and considering the Haven.  (For any Celebrity cruisers out there, we have enjoyed the royal suite on Eclipse and Solstice).

 

We are late 70's, low maintenance.

 

What level of Haven suites include specialty restaurants?  I think I read somewhere that the Haven menu does not change?  Again, I've read so much I could be confused.

 

We are light eaters and prefer oatmeal or muesli and fresh fruit for breakfast.  I saw some menus online and did not see these on the breakfast menu.

 

Any tips or recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks for any help.

 

Aloha,

Noreen

 

[cruiseny4life]

Haven does not include specialty restaurants, except for the actual Haven Restaurant. On ships without a Haven Restaurant, breakfast and lunch is provided in one of the specialty restaurants. NCL uses the Haven breakfast/lunch menu in these venues, as well.

 

As part of the Free at Sea package (if you choose it), you'll receive two specialty meals for guest one and two (for a 7 night sailing). You just have to pay the gratuity, which is actually a very nominal charge. 

 

The Haven menu does not change. Sometimes, on longer voyages, you'll be surprised with a special menu item during dinner. Generally, this item is from the main dining room's menu for that evening. 

 

There is a wonderful breakfast buffet with yogurt parfaits, loads of fruit, pastries, cheeses, meats, and probably something else. I know you can order grits from the breakfast menu. I can't remember if oatmeal is offered or if it's on the buffet. 

[Russiamomm]

Just booking the Haven does not give you Specialty Restaurants, but the Free at Sea will.  Probably two for a week long cruise,

 

While the menu in the Haven restaurant does not change (they do sometimes have specials on longer cruises), the menu is very flexible and the staff will likely be able to get you pretty much what you want any time, but may need some notice.  As far as breakfast goes, the Haven restaurant has a buffet every morning with fruit, yogurt, pastries, etc. in addition to the menu.  There is also a continental display in the Haven observation lounge. There is muesli.  I’ve never tried it, but have heard that it’s really good.  
 

You will not be disappointed. 

[Trappedontheboat]

What I like about the Haven Restaurant is that they can accommodate your special requests. You don't like something they will remove it. You want something extra, you get it at no charge. You want a fillet minion for breakfast instead of NY strip or whatever they serve there, you will get it.

They do ask that all the requests are made 24 hours (or so) prior the meal.

 

We ordered some cheese for a  burger once and we did not know that it was not on the menu, as we found out later, they ran to the main dining room and got it for us. I don't know if they do it for everyone tho, or was it because we knew them well and had good relationships, but from working in hospitality, food and bev in the past, I know for sure that when the guests were nice, we would bend over backward for them.

[jjduck]

thanks very much for these three responses.  appreciate your comments.  now, back to researching!

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, jjduck said:

We are in the very early stages of exploring Encore for Alaska next year and considering the Haven.  (For any Celebrity cruisers out there, we have enjoyed the royal suite on Eclipse and Solstice).

 

We are late 70's, low maintenance.

 

What level of Haven suites include specialty restaurants?  I think I read somewhere that the Haven menu does not change?  Again, I've read so much I could be confused.

 

We are light eaters and prefer oatmeal or muesli and fresh fruit for breakfast.  I saw some menus online and did not see these on the breakfast menu.

 

Any tips or recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks for any help.

 

Aloha,

Noreen

 

Aloha, Noreen

 

The Birds spend our time on Oahu and on the mainland. Throughout the pandemic, we would stop at Aloha Tower to pay our respects to the Pride of America as she sat, waiting for the return to cruising (and then watched from afar when she moved to anchor off Waikiki to make way for the vaccine center).
 

We sailed on the Encore to Alaska in the Haven in September. It was a spectacular cruise. 
 

The link below is a pictorial look at the Haven Restaurant menu. Post #3 shows pictures of the cold breakfast buffet in the Haven. There is also a small cold bar on the Horizons Lounge. 
 

The link below is to my live post from the cruise. Post #227 starts some photos of the Haven. Check out the whole post for life on the Encore on an Alaskan cruise  

We ordered breakfast in our room for Glacier Bay day, then got bundled up and watched the glaciers from Haven Sundeck. 
 

Edited November 8, 2023 by BirdTravels

[jjduck]

"oh, wow, laulau" (LOL) 

 

thanks so much for this info., birdtravels.   will be sure to absorb all this info.

 

 

[graphicguy]

Haven Restaurant is similar to Luminae.

 

Concierges in the Retreat are similar to the Concierges in the Haven.  
 

The Haven has a separate Butler!

 

Haven has a dedicated and bigger bar than the Retreat!  

 

Free At Sea (FAS) is included in the Haven fare!  That includes a couple of Specialty Dinners on the Encore 7 day Alaskan cruise.

 

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by graphicguy

[jjduck]

THANKS, graphicguy.  You answered my questions even before I asked them!   Any other comparisons or advice?

[graphicguy]

3 minutes ago, jjduck said:

THANKS, graphicguy.  You answered my questions even before I asked them!   Any other comparisons or advice?

Both great ways to cruise.  

 

Tell your Haven Restaurant wait staff what you want, they’ll bring it, as @cruiseny4life mentioned, there’s table with most of what you want set up in the Haven Restaurant. Your requests aren’t out of line. You can serve yourself or your waitstaff will prepare a plate for you.

 

Concierges have always taken care of all my specialty restaurant and entertainment reservations as well as escorting me on and off for (dis)embarkation.  They’ll also handle any billing snafus.

 

Tell your Butler what snacks you want during the day and how to use you Nespresso machine (which is quite good) in your suite.  S/He will also bring your room service requests.

 

Pre-Cruise Concierge to request pillow types,  bed configuration, etc can be done at (855) 625-4283.

 

 

[jjduck]

Once again, thanks very much for this information!!! (can you tell I'm excited? LOL)

[BirdTravels]

@Sthrngary has a great thread on the Haven
 

 

[jjduck]

ok, thanks birdtravels.  yay, more reading and anticipating.  

[BirdTravels]

55 minutes ago, jjduck said:

ok, thanks birdtravels.  yay, more reading and anticipating.  

Enjoy the Encore. She’s a beautiful ship. We sailed on her twice this year (once in the Haven to Alaska and once in a Club Balcony to the Eastern Caribbean). We also sailed on the Escape, Joy, and will sail on the Viva in the Haven in December. 
 

Alaska is our favorite cruise destination and we sail there every year. (We’re back on the Encore to Alaska next year). 
 

When we were on the Encore to Alaska over Labor Day, we felt like we were back home in the islands. There was a group of 100+ from Kamehameha Schools on a 50/51/52 year reunion. A large geoup on a Campbell High School reunion. And a large group from Kauai. Never been on a cruise like that before. We were not with any group and it was really special to see so many Hawaii people. The Kamehameha group did a cultural exchange with a native Alaska group in Juneau where the Hōkūleʻa had just visited. 

[NW Pacific]

Oatmeal is not on the Haven Breakfast Menu.  They will get you it though,  may take a few extra minutes, if you prefer it Everday, let them know, and it will probably be available without extra wait time.

[jjduck]

birdtravels, I do remember Hokulea in Alaska thru the local news.  sounds like a memorable cruise for you folks.

 

nwpacific, thanks for the info about oatmeal.  from what i've read, sounds like the haven staff is very accommodating.

[zgscl]

On 11/8/2023 at 10:44 AM, jjduck said:

We are in the very early stages of exploring Encore for Alaska next year and considering the Haven.  (For any Celebrity cruisers out there, we have enjoyed the royal suite on Eclipse and Solstice).

 

We are late 70's, low maintenance.

 

What level of Haven suites include specialty restaurants?  I think I read somewhere that the Haven menu does not change?  Again, I've read so much I could be confused.

 

We are light eaters and prefer oatmeal or muesli and fresh fruit for breakfast.  I saw some menus online and did not see these on the breakfast menu.

 

Any tips or recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks for any help.

 

Aloha,

Noreen

 

We are also Celebrity royal suite  cruisers (on M and S class) and were very impressed with the Haven. We were in a category H5 on Bliss (2 bedroom suite with large balcony). It is about the same size overall or maybe a little smaller as a royal suite, but the layout is different. Living room is smaller as is the bedroom to make space for the 2nd bedroom. The 2nd bedroom is very small and we didn't find the bed particularly comfortable (it was just my mom and me and we found it much more comfortable to share the king). The dining table is much smaller, and the room between the bed and the wall on the far side of the master bedroom is very tight. The shower looks out onto the balcony which is fabulous (just don't let anyone use the balcony while you are showering!)

 

The Haven restaurant is exceptional and we felt it was the specialty restaurant on the ship. In contrast to Luminae they have a large menu that does not change. Plenty of choices and the staff are wonderful.  Fantastic views being so high up - and there is an outdoor dining area as well which we never used as it was October in Alaska but would be great for tropical places. You do not have an assigned server like Luminae, but the team is all wonderful. We loved our server from the first meal and just requested him every time he was available. 

 

We bought both the Free at Sea and FAS Plus upgrade - this got us 4 specialty meals per person, unlimited wifi, and the premium beverage package. We prepaid the service charge and walked off the ship with no onboard bill. One slight difference - on NCL you have to pay the tax on your drinks when in port. We had $100 pp onboard credit which covered this and the couple things we got in the gift shop. 

 

Specialty restaurants were mostly good, much more variety and options than on X. They are not included in the cabin, but the free at sea promotion includes 2 and you can upgrade to 2 more. We liked the Haven restaurant so much I don't think we even used all of our credits. 

 

The Haven never felt crowded - there is so much space. Even though it was sold out with 211 passengers there was no wait to be seated in the restaurant or for service. The only place that was routinely full was the bar stools in the Haven Lounge. When you leave the Haven you are on a ship with 4 thousand people. There are lots of spaces for people to go and we never really felt crowded, but I did notice much longer elevator waits than I have on X or HAL. 

 

Concierge was great and took good care of us. The butler was nice but we really didn't need anything from him (on X we usually rely on them to stock the mini bar and do laundry - neither are included on NCL). 

 

We did not miss having the mini bar included - we had a cabin right next to the Haven Lounge and could walk a grand total of 15 feet to a full bar any time we wanted. 

 

Very impressed with the crew throughout the ship. Absolutely top notch. Great service everywhere. 

 

As there are more people you absolutely need to go early to any shows/events. The Beatles, commedians, main stage shows, etc. Reservations are needed for the main shows. You will be escorted down and there is a reserved Haven area but you still do need a reservation. 

 

Not at all impressed with the dinner rolls/bread or deserts in the Haven, or elsewhere for that matter. Ice cream was great and Coco's (specialty desert restaurant) were wonderful as was the bread pudding in Q (specialty restaurant). Also the ice cream in the Haven restaurant was good.

 

We were really impressed with the Haven - the space and perks were just wonderful. Have cancelled 3 Celebrity cruises and rebooked with NCL on the Bliss. I plan to stick to Bliss, Encore & Joy with the full haven area and horizon lounge but may branch out to other ships with Haven areas when we get more comfortable with NCL. 

 

Living Room:

 

 

2nd Bedroom/bathroom

 

 

Main bedroom/bathroom

 

 

 

 

 

Haven Breakfast: 

 

Haven Lunch:

 

Haven Dinner:

 

Haven Breakfast Buffet

 

 

 

 

 

Haven Pool

 

Haven Restaurant:

 

 

 

Haven Sun Deck:

 

 

 

 

 

Haven Observation Lounge:

 

 

[zgscl]

I will say that I much prefer Cafe al Baccio to Starbucks. Love sitting in Cafe al Baccio and watching things go on in the atrium. The Starbucks is right next to the atrium (at least on Bliss it is), but is an enclosed area so you can't really sit and watch what is going on. 

[jjduck]

zgscl,  thanks very much for all this info and especially the pictures!  

[rbxlady]

On 11/8/2023 at 10:52 PM, NW Pacific said:

Oatmeal is not on the Haven Breakfast Menu.  They will get you it though,  may take a few extra minutes, if you prefer it Everday, let them know, and it will probably be available without extra wait time.

 

Great idea, and to piggyback on that, I might suggest telling pre-cruise concierge this in case they can make sure it's there on the first morning.

[RocketMan275]

7 minutes ago, rbxlady said:

 

Great idea, and to piggyback on that, I might suggest telling pre-cruise concierge this in case they can make sure it's there on the first morning.

Or, tell the matre'd the night before your first breakfast.

[Grimix]

On 11/8/2023 at 10:44 AM, jjduck said:

We are light eaters and prefer oatmeal or muesli and fresh fruit for breakfast.  I saw some menus online and did not see these on the breakfast menu.

 

They definitely had Muesli at the buffet bar in the restaurant. My wife had it almost every morning (and loved it) on our October Alaska cruise. Not my thing thing though! 

[jjduck]

oh, good to know about the breakfast buffet with muesli.  thanks for sharing this info.

[jjduck]

rbxlady and rocketman, thanks for your responses with great advice.

 

BTW, how far in advance does the shoreside concierge generally contact the guest?  

 

And while I'm here, how does the laundry service (if any) work on the Encore.   Also, if the butler does not replenish the mini fridge, do you bring back sodas and bottled water from the haven lounge and any bar?

 

Thanks very much!

[rbxlady]

1 hour ago, jjduck said:

rbxlady and rocketman, thanks for your responses with great advice.

 

BTW, how far in advance does the shoreside concierge generally contact the guest?  

 

And while I'm here, how does the laundry service (if any) work on the Encore.   Also, if the butler does not replenish the mini fridge, do you bring back sodas and bottled water from the haven lounge and any bar?

 

Thanks very much!

 

I still have my e-mails from my last Haven cruise a year ago, and I had upgraded our booking to the Haven sort of at the last minute, so I contacted pre-cruise concierge because I did not heard from them within a reasonable time after booking. They responded with a pre-cruise concierge letter and asked me what special requests we might have and what pillows we wanted. According to my e-mail to them, I had been informed that I normally would have been contacted 130 days out but had obviously upgraded well after that deadline. The address I e-mailed was norwegianconciergedesk@ncl.com

 

As far as laundry, we were on the Getaway, not the Encore, but we got one free bag of laundry. (We are bronze moving up to silver, so we do not yet have loyalty status that gets us additional free laundry.) We paid for an additional bag of laundry, which cost us $29. They did a great job. It was me, my husband, and our two kids, so $29 was worth the laundry refresher and my having less laundry to do when we returned home.

 

I feel like I saw a video that said that Celebrity's suites have a beverage area where you can get cans of soda and bottles of water at no charge. Unfortunately, NCL does not do that, not even in the Haven. When I wanted a soda, I had to go to the bar or pay for a can of soda (I believe they cost $3.50, not sure about a bottle of water). You can purchase a 1L boxed water package to be put in your suite beforehand. (https://www.ncl.com/in/en/onboard-packages/bottled-water-packages) Going to the bar every time you want a soda is a pain, but it is what it is.

 

Rather than pay for water, I asked for a pitcher of ice water and a pitcher of unsweet tea in our fridge, which our butler frequently refreshed.

 

I packed collapsible water bottles to fill up with said ice water on the ship and bring on excursions, but we ended up not using them (Eastern Caribbean itinerary). We were just fine without carrying water at all, both on and off the ship. There are enough places to get something to drink on the ship that it felt unnecessary to carry a water bottle on the ship. I did see others carrying them, though, so obviously you may feel more inclined to do something like that.