amygutman

Wanted to share an excellent interaction today with our pre-cruise concierge. I know on the board there have been "hits and misses", but we have been so lucky and have used this service often over the years. Haven Booking Tip: if you have an "odd number" in your parties (we usually have 3, but on this upcoming Alaskan cruise we have 5), you sometimes cannot book specialty restaurants online for some time slots but your pre-concierge can absolutely make those bookings. We have used the same two pre-concierge ladies for the past number of years both via email and by phone. They know us well, they are funny and professional, and are incredibly responsive and helpful. This weekend, in one 30 minute call, they got my two friends who we are travelling with sorted in their NCL registrations, booked us all for specialty restaurants, confirmed our excursion bookings, reviewed visa requirements (one of our friends is British, one is Jamaican), helped them get sorted with the Port of Seattle luggage transfer, gave advice on hotel bookings in Seattle, and emailed out our spirit and special request lists. Because we will be a "seafood-free room" (our friend has a shellfish allergy), she also made sure to have this listed for our treat selections, and arranged for a kettle to be in the room along with the coffee maker for my British friend who was horrified at the thought of boiling her tea water in a coffee maker 😂. Just another Haven perk I know @Sthrngary has mentioned many times before. Many people under-utilize but I have found the pre-concierge to be so helpful - especially with herding all of the cats that comes with arranging a cruise with international travelers. 104 Days To Go!!!!! Warmest, Amy

@insidecabin thank you so much for the detailed answer. We couldn't resist booking the Euribia for a Feb 16th 2024 cruise out of Southampton. Crazy as it sounds, a YC room + economy airfare from Orlando to London was cheaper than a 7 night Caribbean YC out of Orlando or Miami for the same week in February. We are flying into Gatwick on the morning of the 15th and had planned to spend the whole day / sleep in London but now will pivot to a taxi tour of London post flight then head to Southampton as suggested. Can't imagine the stress of trying to arrange last-minute alternative port transport if the trains were not running the morning of the cruise from London. Will head over to the CC Port Boards in the next few months and try to figure out more of the fun tips re: Southampton, but I so appreciate all of the help to the OP which has definitely helped us! Warmest, Amy

🙂 😄

Wow …. Have never been to a land-based resort other than a “resort for a day” whilst on a cruise ship at a port. They usually have day fees that include loungers. I can understand the lure of not fighting chair hogs but wow… those prices are crazy! Again emphasizes the lure of cruising on a floating resort at sea. Yeah… there’s some “nickel and diming” but 200$ for a lounger alone is a heck of a lot of dimes! warmest, Amy

Not to add fuel to the fire...but more NCL Epic cancellations posted this am: https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-line-cancels-sailings-in-2025/103405 Three Norwegian Epic Cruises Cancelled Norwegian Cruise Line recently sent guests an email announcing the cancellation of three scheduled sailings on the Norwegian Epic. The affected voyages, scheduled to sail on April 15, April 20, and May 5 in 2025, have been scrapped due to a dry dock and revitalization of the ship. In a letter issued to guests and travel partners, Norwegian Cruise Line states: “As part of our commitment to continuously offer extraordinary vacation experiences around the world for our guests and to uphold a consistent world-class product across our fleet, Norwegian Epic will be undergoing a revitalization in 2025.” “In order to complete these enhancements, Norwegian Epic’s sailings on April 15, 2025, April 20, 2025, and May 5, 2025, have been canceled. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Great to hear about all the fantastic winning streaks in the casino! MSC ships have been notoriously poor payouts for us in the past, but we have played enough small games that we have gotten a free cruise offer twice now. Unfortunately, our schedules would not allow for us to take the offer… But you know have me excited for our upcoming July cruise. Nothing like walking away from the vacation with some money in your pocket and a free cruise potentially on the way! So happy for your Good luck! warmest, Amy

Thank you for the lovely review. We are on the Spirit for the June 2025 Alaska to Hawaii repositioning and cannot wait. On the Encore for our first Alaska cruise and it will be interesting to compare the "mega-ship" vs "small-ship" experience. Both have pros and cons in ship "feel" and itineraries, so we are eating up reviews like yours. I am glad you had a nice time and am jealous of your wildlife sightings. Warmest, Amy

I agree with many of the posters as well as "Cruise Well Every Moment" guru @Sthrngary that there are jerks everyone in-and-out of the Haven, but other than some very uppity folks who we've happily avoided on some sailings, we've been lucky to avoid most ill-behaved guests. As one of the "letter writers", I have to say we've had nothing but positive responses on our requests - from stocking spirits to our afternoon snacks. has it been perfect? No. Have all of our requests been granted - again, no, but at least it's an apologetic no with a smile. Usually out of some food item we like, or the attempt to stuff us to the gills with afternoon snacks that we politely decline. We tip well and often, are never demanding, and find that small tokens of our appreciation coupled with a genuine appreciation for how hard the crew works makes for vacations that are 90% - 95% perfect and that is far, far better than any day at work. Small disappointments are just that...small. Plus...as a very blunt person by nature, I never am afraid of calling out bad behavior in adults or children (or adults behaving like children). As my husband can attest to, there is nothing more terrifying that a 5 foot tall woman whose zen is being disturbed. 😁. I am sorry that the OP did not have a perfect time and the Haven did not live up to their expectations but I hope they try again with an open mind. Warmest, Amy

What a lovely and informative review. It's awesome when you find a truly unbiased review that discussed both the pros and cons of the ship, the sailing, and the service - and your reporting style with attached photos is delightful. Speaking as someone who can't figure out how to post a photo without it flipping upside down, I appreciate your presentation tremendously. Now then, I can't await for the YC review! it will be interesting to hear your comparison. Curious...are you on the Seaside for the YC as well? That would be a great "apples vs apples" review. Warmest, Amy

@NCteacherlovescruisingOh shoot...post-night shift brain. I thought you said DUPLEX suite...just caught that it is a DELUXE suite. No worries about those stairs. Apologies if I caused confusion. Never post after night shift! Bad sleepy brain ...

Although the Deluxe Suites have their downsides (biggest being not able to go directly in and out of the YC due to stairs / elevator locations), the views are spectacular and having two bathrooms / distinct living areas is wonderful. Plus....HOT TUB!!!! The balcony IMHO is the best part of the room. Careful on those stairs - they are very steep with an odd rise to the even odder-colored carpet. Have a great cruise... We are in the Seaside in July in a "regular" YC suite. Will miss that 2nd bathroom, but happy to be in the YC. Warmest, Amy

Indeed - but every now and again you do get an awesome rep who’s on the ball. I can see why the TAs get frustrated though.

Really appreciate the time you put into taking and labeling all of the photos. It’s very appreciated. warmest, Amy

Well heck...the prices are still as high as the regular YaCHT Club. Darn it. 😁

The Haven fare on the Viva was more than booking on Oceania? Holy buckets. I always appreciate your thorough dissection of questions, concerns and postings on CC but this is shocking. Very curious as to your review post-cruise. Our TA has steered us away from Oceania as he doesn't think our 14 yo would enjoy the atmosphere as much as in the Haven due to lack of teen on-board activities and our preference for more casual cruising. Thanks as always for the interesting perspectives! Warmest, Amy

It's interesting with the upgrade emails - seems to be a similar process as NCL in who receives bids, how bids are processed / accepted / denied by the third party dealer. We are in a YC balcony suite for a July Seaside sailing and was on the phone with the MSC call center re: OBC question when I asked out of curiosity why we have not gotten a bid to upgrade. Please understand - we are very happy with our room, but there is the allure of the Royal Suite with a separate area for our 14 yo. We were told that if in a YC room you generally are not sent upgrade bids as "you are in the highest category already". I don't believe this is true as we have gotten upgrade emails previously for a YC balcony to the Deluxe and Royal, but the MSC call centers are certainly notorious for providing incorrect information. It's not a big deal at all as the Royal has a bigger space but no 2nd bathroom; the extra outlay of cash for a 4 night cruise just to have more space was not worth it for us or we would have booked it outright. A small upgrade bid? Sure...if offered then no harm, no foul. Free...even better! Curious what other CC experiences' have been. Warmest, Amy

I'd say i'm on "tenderhooks" but i've already been corrected once on this forum 😂

We are cruising Sept 24th ... hoping for the trifecta of whales, clear glacier passage and northern lights. Crossing fingers for you as well! Warmest, Amy

Thank you @laudergayle. I feel awful for @OB Cruise Group and her cruisers. My TA just called me again… In regards to the constant changes on the Epic’s itineraries he said it’s gonna cause him to drink! 🤣

Beautiful family, beautiful view ❤️

That’s ugly and unprofessional of them. 51 cabins? Dang

Crossing fingers … he said the Epic is offering cruises out of Canaveral Nov-March 2024 right during our booking. Heck - I’d love to stay with NCL for the TA. thank you for the info!!!! It’s an ever changing calendar! warmest, Amy

Nov 10 2024 13 Day TA. Was perfect because the itinerary great, TA bucket-list, and ended up in Canaveral 45 mins from our condo. Looking for alternatives if anyone has suggestions….

Just spoke to our TA - the Epic will NOT be returning to the Mediterranean / Europe in 2024-2025. He's suggesting that because we had blocked off that time for a TA, to actually not cancel the room now (still showing under our cruise reservation) but wait for the obligatory cancellation offer to rebook. He said it's likely to be 100% of deposit + 10-20% + OBC. Not sure if anyone is in the same boat. If we look at our "manage your cruise" page, it still shows this cruise even though it doesn't exist anymore. We are bummed, but at least not out any airfare / hotel like so many on this thread. Hope the "heads-up" helps Warmest, Amy

@Sailing12Away it is interesting. If you happen to be on different forms for differences lines, how common the complaints are no matter which company. Every cruise-company specific posting of “Ncl canceled my porch… Celebrity has terrible food… Princess canceled my excursion…” seems to be met with a similar complaint for a different cruise line. Yes, there are some underlying recurrent themes for one brand versus another, but I think that you’ll find excellent, great, good, and terrible experiences for individual people, individual ships an individual companies. That is the nature of cruising. warmest, Amy