The Secrets of the Haven VIP Experience in 2024 and beyond

[luckyinpa]

27 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@luckyinpa Thank you for the comparison.  Before folks take issue with anything you said, I am the OP of this and two other very popular Haven OP-ED since 2019.  Your overview is both accurate and in my humble opinion fair.  Why is this good for both the Yacht Club and the NCL Haven.  It creates a very clear outline of Pros/Cons TODAY.  The Haven started the concept of a "Ship-Within-A-Ship".  It was wildly successful.  Then competitors like MSC, Royal, Celebrity came in and took what the Haven did well and kept it, and improved it.  NCL knows this and if they want to keep the NCL Haven successful for the upcoming years, they have to follow suit.  I believe they will because not doing so will lead to a mass lose of this very profitable guest. 

 

Funny thing, as much as I love the Haven and I really do, my next cruise is on the MSC luxury brand called Explora Journey.  When I did a full comparison including all perks given, Explora won the comparison.  Consider Explora Journey as the Yacht Club on steroids since when you leave you stateroom, everyone on the ship which is smaller, is treated the same.  After that cruise I will be going on a 10-day Mediterranean cruise on Oceania on their new ship the Vista. Again, I did the comparison and on this itinerary, Oceania won the comparison.  This will be my second Mediterranean 10 day cruise with Oceania. Just like Explora Journey, the Oceania to me is the NCL Haven and MSC Yacht Club on steroids.  I love that everyone is treated basically the same. 

 

Now to all my fellow Haven lovers, this does not mean the Haven is bad.  It just needs to make some adjustments in their approach to keep up with their competition that they created. This entire situation reminds me of what happened when Lexus Vehicles were created.  They took over the Luxury Car and SUV market.  Mercedes Benz used to the the king of the road but then they lost market share.  Mercedes Benz came back strong to compete with Lexus.  So will the NCL Haven.  That is my hope and humble guess. 

 

I love we have options since we all work extremely hard for our money.  So Bravo to your well written overview/review.  Thank you for taking the time, being honest and transparent.  I respect your view. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

i had no clue about explora until reading this thread. I took a 10 minute dive into a video of their cabins and determined they are much more unique and elegant than YC. (but it looks like there are just 1.5 seat padded loungers on a lot of the balconies, weird!, why not 2 loungers!) However, i am not sure i need to pay for that elegance and would have to read more about those ships compared to MSC to see if it's worth it for me.

 

I never researched oceania until yesterday but since i saw their new ship would be in NYC next fall for a 'cheap' 4 day cruise i did some deep diving.  (by the way cruise plum is a very dangerous site because you can deep dive into literally any cabin preference  you have and sort it) I was shocked there was an owners suite available for only 5K. I love me some big suites! It was amazing. but of course goes contrary to my newly acquired cheap YC experience. Then i started digging more and discovered Vista has many sound issues even in some suites. Hearing neighbors talk even at normal volume etc. Not that was seriously considering the large suite, this made me cross those 2 new ships off my list. Even a cheap 999 balcony for 4 days probably would be too much of a risk for me. Much like id avoid infinite verandas on X with their widely reported squeaking. But i thought maybe of doing that 4 day trip since it's local and i have zero oceania experience. Probably not though. maybe 🙂    someone here told me it's probably a TA cruise and i wouldnt like it. unsure the reason for that though. I hope you have no noise from your neighbors on Vista. but even if just 5 percent of people have it, you do have that chance. plus the issue has be supposedly admitted to by upper staff on board. So i do believe it exists.

 

I also watched an old cruise special about viking in the norway fjords. another rabbit hole of research there. 2 lines (both began with H) fascinated me and convinced me taking a main line cruise in norway wouldnt be the best way to see them.  But of course smaller ships like that arent made for luxury. just comfy places to sleep with your daily port stops. the one ship literally is a local ferry with some stops of just 10 minutes.

 

I also think one negative with YC is that so many people say MSC is totally different than other cruise lines that people wont even try it. I admit i was sheltered in YC but did venture out. at this moment i cannot remember any significant differences except no deck 17 on board and what i perceived as a small casino for the size ship. reviews said there would be so many other different types of people than other ships but i didnt notice this at all. just some french speakers. quite normal. maybe if i went to the buffet or pool deck thats what people meant about different. unsure.

 

one thing for sure is every other line/suite i research now will have to match up to all the free perks in YC. at close to that price. I think to stir things up haven needs to serve free drinks in haven, fill the fridge free and have free unlimited wifi at todays prices. Im almost embarrassed i got treated so well and such great perks in YC compared to prices ive paid for other suites.

 

my gf told me i should not write these reviews as it will drive up demand and YC pricing.  hope not. the guy that owns MSC is doing great at a great price. if he had the 2 story suites in YC proper i would have even booked one of those!  for now ill suffer with my tiny sideways closet thats outside the bathroom and be annoyed with it as i get treated like royalty everywhere else.

[Sthrngary]

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

I love me some big suites!

I was on the Oceania Riviera, I has the second largest suite called a Vista Suite.  Bigger then the Owners Suite on the large NCL Ships in the Haven.  I would never book it again.  The deck was huge, half the front of the ship.  At night they lock down the furniture making it stand only.  The suite was lovely, but my friends had a PH2 with a side balcony and I have booked that for the next Oceania Cruise. The noise issue on Oceania Vista is widely debated.  Oceania is doing some renovations to fix this issue.  But the Riviera had no such issues.  

 

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

my gf told me i should not write these reviews as it will drive up demand and YC pricing

This happens all the time, by you won't be the first.  I did that exact thing starting in 2019 here on CruiseCritic.com.  Now look at the price of the Haven.  But it was a hell of a few years of pure enjoyment. 

 

Enjoy your cruise, you will have a GREAT time.  Never stop sharing.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[luckyinpa]

2 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

I was on the Oceania Riviera, I has the second largest suite called a Vista Suite.  Bigger then the Owners Suite on the large NCL Ships in the Haven.  I would never book it again.  The deck was huge, half the front of the ship.  At night they lock down the furniture making it stand only.  The suite was lovely, but my friends had a PH2 with a side balcony and I have booked that for the next Oceania Cruise. The noise issue on Oceania Vista is widely debated.  Oceania is doing some renovations to fix this issue.  But the Riviera had no such issues.  

 

This happens all the time, by you won't be the first.  I did that exact thing starting in 2019 here on CruiseCritic.com.  Now look at the price of the Haven.  But it was a hell of a few years of pure enjoyment. 

 

Enjoy your cruise, you will have a GREAT time.  Never stop sharing.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

lock down furniture. Ive not read of that on any post ive seen.  do you mean  someone comes into your cabin and makes your balcony furniture unsuitable for seating? wow.  i hope thats in the disclosure somewhere.

[Sthrngary]

14 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

 

lock down furniture. Ive not read of that on any post ive seen.  do you mean  someone comes into your cabin and makes your balcony furniture unsuitable for seating? wow.  i hope thats in the disclosure somewhere.

So here is the deal.  When you have a suite in the front of the ship, the wind at night is serious.  They were afraid the furniture would move and be an issue.  When you have an Oceania Suite, very large also, the balcony, is on the side so no need to lock down furniture.  The Owners Suite is in the back of the ship so no wind issue, however the balcony is split in half and the suite is large but not really suited for most folks unless they are entertaining a group onboard.  The suite to get is the Oceania Suite.  

 

Look, give the four day cruise a try.  Worth a try.  I call it a Luxury Cruise Test Drive.  I have done it for Crystal Cruises and there is a world of difference all around.  Whether Crystal, Oceania, Regents Seven Seas, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Silver Seas or Seaborne, these smaller ship, have a way of providing luxury in a nice way.  However, everyone has their own set of likes and dislikes so keep the studing going.  Regardless of what you do, you will have a great time. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[RocketMan275]

10 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

 

lock down furniture. Ive not read of that on any post ive seen.  do you mean  someone comes into your cabin and makes your balcony furniture unsuitable for seating? wow.  i hope thats in the disclosure somewhere.

Happened twice on a seven day Western Caribbean Breakaway cruise in a Deluxe Owners Suite with large balcony.  One night the crew locked down the balcony furniture around  9 PM.  The second time, we found the furniture can been locked down while we were sleeping.  We were not informed, the crew just came in and lashed all the furniture into one big pile.  

Will never book a forward facing cabin again.  

[luckyinpa]

47 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Happened twice on a seven day Western Caribbean Breakaway cruise in a Deluxe Owners Suite with large balcony.  One night the crew locked down the balcony furniture around  9 PM.  The second time, we found the furniture can been locked down while we were sleeping.  We were not informed, the crew just came in and lashed all the furniture into one big pile.  

Will never book a forward facing cabin again.  

 

they came in while you were sleeping through your bolted door? id be more than livid there. shows locks are useless i guess. thats such an intrusion.i hope they were there at 6 am when you wanted to sit down for your morning mountain dew to untie it.

[McGarrett5oh]

23 hours ago, DorothyB said:

On a 15 night cruise, it seems the limited Haven menu can get quite repetitive, even after 3 dinners at Specialty Dining.

We spent 14 nights in the Haven on Prima last Fall and also had 3 Specialty Dining reservations.  We spaced out the Specialty Dining every 2-3 days or so, but found the Haven restaurant's static menu to still provide enough variety that we could enjoy our favorite meals several times in rotation.   But then, I'm one who if I find something I really like, I tend to order it again.

[RocketMan275]

5 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

 

they came in while you were sleeping through your bolted door? id be more than livid there. shows locks are useless i guess. thats such an intrusion.i hope they were there at 6 am when you wanted to sit down for your morning mountain dew to untie it.

You shouldn't be surprised.  The crew can open locked cabin doors for emergency purposes.  
Now, the Deluxe Owners Suite does have a bedroom separate from the rest of the cabin.  

And, no, the furniture wasn't unlashed until after we returned from breakfast.

[DwayneG]

Regarding lashing the furniture, it's possble they just go down the row of cabins opening the dividers as they go.  I have seen them open them to wash down the balconies.

[RocketMan275]

28 minutes ago, DwayneG said:

Regarding lashing the furniture, it's possble they just go down the row of cabins opening the dividers as they go.  I have seen them open them to wash down the balconies.

Regardless, the crew can unlock any cabin door.  

[Sthrngary]

Sorry I brought this topic up. Let me be clear, when I was in the H2 Deluxe Owners Suite on the NCL Joy, they never tied down my deck furniture.  EVER.  When I was in the same sized and positioned suite on the Oceania Riviera, they tied down the furniture every early evening when the ship was sailing the next day.  Did I like it, NO.  Did I really care, NO.  

 

The lesson I learned was first, don't book a stateroom in the front of the ship because the wind when it is sailing makes using the deck at night almost impossible.  Second, the larger the room, does not make the cruise.  In both cases, it was a bucket list item and I am glad we did it. I would do it again but it would have to be a "up-bid" situation or greatly discounted as both were in my examples.  I don't think in the rest of my cruising life, those to situations will ever happen again. 

 

Cruises in general are what we all make of it.  Nothing every goes perfectly.  Part of what I like about cruising. You never know what to expect.  Sharing my stories over time is never meant to be negative.  It is meant as food for thought.  Education if you have not experience the same thing as I have.  When posters give both actual positive and negative experience, it helps us all to embrace the positive and avoid the negative.  Both make our next cruise even better.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[cruiseny4life]

On 8/10/2024 at 1:00 PM, CalTexCruiser said:

Good to know there may be specials on longer cruises.

There may be specials on your cruise, but be aware these specials are typically tied to what is being served in the Main Dining Room. There, indeed, may be times when you're offered a true special in the Haven Restaurant, but in my experience (and many others who have documented Haven "specials" on these boards), it's just a Main Dining Room meal. There's nothing wrong with it, but don't go into your sailing expecting a yummy special just for Havenites. 

 

Have a freaking blast onboard for 15 days!! The most we've done is 11 days and we're slumming it with a 7 day cruise in February. 

BTW, Joy is a lovely ship! I absolutely adore the sun deck - just be sure to get there early to capture a cabana! 

[CalTexCruiser]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

BTW, Joy is a lovely ship! I absolutely adore the sun deck - just be sure to get there early to capture a cabana! 

 

Thanks for the advice.  How "early" is early to get a cabana?  And will there be a chair hog situation even in the Haven sundeck?

 

 

[Sthrngary]

27 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

Thanks for the advice.  How "early" is early to get a cabana?  And will there be a chair hog situation even in the Haven sundeck?

 

 

@CalTexCruiser The Joy has two hot tubs one on each side if I am not mistaken.  The pool is indoors in the Haven Courtyard and never an issue for a lounge chair.  The Haven Sundeck gets crowded but I have never had an issue getting a nice lounge chair in a nice area. I have no clue about the Cabana's.  The only time I ever had one was on the Breakaway in the Vibe Beach Club which I paid for to reserve.  My wife LOVED the Cabana.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[cruiseny4life]

30 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

Thanks for the advice.  How "early" is early to get a cabana?  And will there be a chair hog situation even in the Haven sundeck?

 

 

We had breakfast, then went up on the sun deck to claim our cabana. By 8:30/8:45 AM, they were all taken. There are somewhere between six and eight - I forgot how many. We lolled around until about noon, then it was luck of the draw if we could get a cabana back after lunch. 

 

We never found it impossible to get a lounger on Joy's Haven sundeck. Many of them were taken, so it was definitely prime real estate, but there were always at least a few still available. The hot tub did get taken over by groups of four to six folks that would order booze from the sundeck server and lounge in the pool for three to four hours. It seemed they did mostly take pee breaks, so I don't think there was much pee in them. I did enjoy the hot tubs, and solitude, any time after about 6 PM. 

[CDR Benson]

43 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Joy has two hot tubs one on each side if I am not mistaken.  The pool is indoors in the Haven Courtyard and never an issue for a lounge chair.  

 

I can attest to that.  On our Haven cruise on Joy, every morning for three days straight, I went to the Courtyard and there were plenty of available chaise longues.  I'd brought a book I'd been planning to read for quite awhile.  (The computer digs into my book time at home.)

 

It was a book about a topic I liked and it was well written.  Yet, over three days, I never got past page fifteen.  The weather was balmy with a nice, gentle breeze.  I'd never been so relaxed in my life.  And every morning, I fell asleep before I could get through three or four pages.

 

And when I did awake, a waiter was right there, asking if he could bring me something from the Haven bar.

 

I'm taking the same book with me on our November cruise on Joy.  Maybe I'll make it to page thirty.

 

 

[luckyinpa]

I just recollected an experience I believe worthy of yacht club, but happened on the bliss haven. We all had been sitting in the lounge contemplating lunch and I had read about a lunch time menu served only in the observation lounge (swordfish sandwich or something unique like that). however my cabin mates did not want that.  they wanted to go to the buffet where there were more than 6 things on the menu. So i decided to order my sandwich and i told my cabin mates i'd find them in the buffet when i got my sandwich. I ordered it with the attendant walking around and sat and waited.

 

Sulistino (spelling) brought me my sandwich and fries and said where did the girls go?  i said they wanted the buffet so ill just take my sandwich down there. she said no no no. i will take it down. i said goodness no. i can carry my own food. but she took the tray and started out the haven. awkward walking around steerage with my food following me!

 

we made it to the buffet  and employees were saying why are you here, to Sulistino. they were shocked, i guess she never did something like this before. (i was surprised she was allowed to leave haven really) Meanwhile we both craned our necks constantly in both directions to find my cabinmates. Finally we did at the farthest end of the buffet. rest assured the tables near by looked at me like i was ...well you can imagine... She served my food and properly set the table for me, silverware, food etc. Then I also noticed that  the napkins, silverware and the little basket my fries came in were totally different than buffet fare and hoped they would find their way back up to haven!

 

and thats the best haven service story i have.

 

---------

separately  regarding the balcony furniture statements above, I did forget that theres no latch on a cruise ship door unlike in every hotel ive ever stayed in. i still find it absurd that later in the evening someone came into someones room to do that furniture move. i could see it around dinner time for sure and ONLY if it was made known to me upon embarkation.  Id be unnerved to be honest. Someone sneaking in my room like that while i was asleep.

 

comparatively speaking, maybe yacht clubs forward facing suites WITH glass really are a great idea, no wind issues nor sneaking around. another way YC wins vs haven 🙂

 

[luckyinpa]

19 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

Sorry I brought this topic up. Let me be clear, when I was in the H2 Deluxe Owners Suite on the NCL Joy, they never tied down my deck furniture.  EVER.  When I was in the same sized and positioned suite on the Oceania Riviera, they tied down the furniture every early evening when the ship was sailing the next day.  Did I like it, NO.  Did I really care, NO.  

 

The lesson I learned was first, don't book a stateroom in the front of the ship because the wind when it is sailing makes using the deck at night almost impossible.  Second, the larger the room, does not make the cruise.  In both cases, it was a bucket list item and I am glad we did it. I would do it again but it would have to be a "up-bid" situation or greatly discounted as both were in my examples.  I don't think in the rest of my cruising life, those to situations will ever happen again. 

 

 

 

It's important to know about tied down furniture as i had never read about it on any forum, anywhere, on any line.  I did extensively research forward facing wind issues when years ago i was thinking about one. but never heard about any furniture tied down. So it IS very important to any reader to mention any factual detail about a cabin you have stayed in.   If i couldnt sleep and wanted to go sit out on the balcony late, and couldnt, and spent $$$$ on the cabin, id be furious.

 

Regarding larger rooms they are a danger. I do worry if i did ever do owners suite on Vista that id feel i had to stay in the room 100 percent of the time to get my moneys worth. unless i got a deal of course. upgrade etc.  But i do love the larger rooms and they do make the cruise for me. (prior to my introduction to YC of course)  Last year i was blessed for find the royal suite on liberty of the seas for 1900 for the week. thats the kind of big room deal i get excited about!  1600 sq feet and the holy grail of a piano in your room. Whats not to love. (to this date its THE most elegant room i've ever stayed in) well you get no perks on that ship in a suite, no restaurant, no drinks, no wifi, no butler no suite deck buffet nor pool. but the price for the cabin was a steal, which is what i look for!  I'd definitely book that cabin again at that price, but at the full 8000 a week price that it is now out of NYC, id never ever book it again. I can get so many more benefits for 35% of that price in a YC balcony.

Edited August 12 by luckyinpa

[CalTexCruiser]

1 hour ago, Sthrngary said:

@CalTexCruiser The Joy has two hot tubs one on each side if I am not mistaken.  The pool is indoors in the Haven Courtyard and never an issue for a lounge chair.  The Haven Sundeck gets crowded but I have never had an issue getting a nice lounge chair in a nice area. I have no clue about the Cabana's.  The only time I ever had one was on the Breakaway in the Vibe Beach Club which I paid for to reserve.  My wife LOVED the Cabana.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

On the more recent videos of Joy's Haven area, I did see the cabanas.  Perhaps these were put in as part of the Joy's refurbishment back in 2022.

[CalTexCruiser]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

We had breakfast, then went up on the sun deck to claim our cabana. By 8:30/8:45 AM, they were all taken. There are somewhere between six and eight - I forgot how many. We lolled around until about noon, then it was luck of the draw if we could get a cabana back after lunch. 

 

We never found it impossible to get a lounger on Joy's Haven sundeck. Many of them were taken, so it was definitely prime real estate, but there were always at least a few still available. The hot tub did get taken over by groups of four to six folks that would order booze from the sundeck server and lounge in the pool for three to four hours. It seemed they did mostly take pee breaks, so I don't think there was much pee in them. I did enjoy the hot tubs, and solitude, any time after about 6 PM. 

 

LOL.  So it's not just me worried about this in shared hot tubs and pools.

[RocketMan275]

Someone please remind me when I can reserve specialty dining as  a Haven guest.

Is it 130 or 125 days out?

[SaltyPawz]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Someone please remind me when I can reserve specialty dining as  a Haven guest.

Is it 130 or 125 days out?

We made ours 130 days out. 

[REV_Cruiser]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Someone please remind me when I can reserve specialty dining as  a Haven guest.

Is it 130 or 125 days out?

130 days

[SaltyPawz]

Day 3 on Breakaway in the Haven (family villa) or the two bedroom with small balcony heading to New England/Canada. 
 

So far, so good. We got to the NY Manhattan Terminal around 9:30 a.m. After a short check in and wait, we were on board enjoying a tasty beverage and eating lunch in the Haven Restaurant by 11:30. 
 

I must say… ALL crew (staff at poolside bars and many other places) have been super friendly. Michael, Geeta, and Ayza in the Haven Bar are spot on!!! We are having a wonderful time already.  
 

If there’s anything you’d like me to check out, please let me know.
 

A few more days to go and some more pampering to be had! 

[diver21]

38 minutes ago, SaltyPawz said:

Day 3 on Breakaway in the Haven (family villa) or the two bedroom with small balcony heading to New England/Canada. 
 

So far, so good. We got to the NY Manhattan Terminal around 9:30 a.m. After a short check in and wait, we were on board enjoying a tasty beverage and eating lunch in the Haven Restaurant by 11:30. 
 

I must say… ALL crew (staff at poolside bars and many other places) have been super friendly. Michael, Geeta, and Ayza in the Haven Bar are spot on!!! We are having a wonderful time already.  
 

If there’s anything you’d like me to check out, please let me know.
 

A few more days to go and some more pampering to be had! 

Great to hear its going well so far on the Breakaway. We are in a 2 bedroom villa in January, not sure what deck you are on but if you are on deck 15, is there an "In haven" stairway that goes up to 16 to the haven lounge/restaurant? Thanks!