KateQ22003

Not sure if we are getting priced out because we cruise out of Boston, but I have never been in the haven for less than $10,000 per cabin. Our last cruise was higher than that. If I could find a $3-4,000 cruise in the Haven I would faint from joy!

NCL sells the haven as a luxurious, well-appointed and spacious area of the ship, with complete privacy and tranquility (their words, not mine). They have a wonderful area with a pool for families and children. They have a separate sundeck for the adults. In my mind they are trying to cater to everyone who has the $$$ to afford the haven. And yea, me and my girlfriends have reserved the Haven 2-bedroom; it's not just for families with small children. We aren't asking for an adult only cruise; we are asking for one space that is adult only. Seems like a reasonable request.

That's true, but the smaller ships don't have a Vibe area. I guess you could think of the haven sundeck as a Vibe-type area on these ships.

NCL isn't just a family cruise line; they are trying to cater to everyone (hence the Haven). Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only adult only area on the smaller ships is the top sundeck in the Haven. I don't see why adults can't have ONE place they can go to be with adults. Even the bars, late night-parties and 18+ comedian shows are full of kids lately - what is wrong with having just one place for adults only?

You aren't. Regular toilet paper can do a real number on the ship's system.

A service charge will be added to your bill daily; the amount varies depending on whether you are in a suite or a non-suite cabin. This supposedly covers tips for your room steward, your waitstaff, and the behind the scenes staff. Your bartenders will be tipped from the tips you pay up front when you have the beverage package (same with specialty dining waiters from the dining package). If you are in a suite, you will have a concierge and a butler to tip separately, as they are not a part of the daily service charge.

The Dawn is my favorite NCL ship. I haven't sailed her since before Covid, but the service and staff on that ship is second to none. I love the size of her, and her atrium with the glass elevators is beautiful. While they don't have a haven, they do have some really nice family suites on deck 12 right near the pool.

My recommendation is to download what you might like to listen to onto your phone. I bring a small bluetooth speaker and use that with my phone.

Actually I did, and I liked it but wasn't overly good at it. Anyone who has been around anyone learning to play a reed instrument knows about the horrible squeaking that can happen. With me, it happened a lot! Trust me, it's not a happy sound.

Trust me, a child learning to play the clarinet is not a "happy noise". Ask me how I know 🙂

If you get the chance in Portland, go to the Sea Bags store. it's my favorite! It's also pretty much right off the ship, so you don't have to go far. Also, the docking into Portland is absolutely beautiful. I have lived in Maine most of my life and had never seen it from the sea- it is a nice docking.

It is beautiful here in Maine, and should be beautiful all this week. Not sure if you have any Maine stops, but if you do you should be rewarded! We don't have a lot of color yet in Central Maine, but I'm sure the Northern area is ahead of us in that department. Enjoy your cruise! We sailed on the Pearl a few times this summer to Bermuda; we liked the ship.

The Dawn also has steps into the pool.

I always pack a separate outfit for each night, but for me it's because I'm always afraid I will spill something and that will render an outfit unwearable for a second time!

Actually they strip all the beds first and collect towels so they can get the laundry going to re-equip the cabin. We told our steward he could come in and strip our beds since I knew he was waiting for our sheets, but he didn't seem comfortable with that.

They need to get you off as soon as they can so they can get ready for the next group of passengers. Some of those room stewards now are doing upwards of 16 cabins. It's time to go; the cruise is over! Do the staff a favor and leave so they can do their jobs.

We were in this room a couple of weeks ago. It was very quiet overhead, but there were a lot of young children running the halls at night. We loved this room and I would highly recommend it. We never heard anything from the gym.

I was on the Pearl the week of August 22nd, and the only issue with kids was the late night running up and down the halls. It was annoying, but I chalked it up to being on deck 11 where the two-bedroom suites are. My mistake.

They really are. We saw them on the Bliss right before Covid hit; they were the best part of the cruise.

Now that's funny! One Direction? Fifty years from now they won't know who the heck they are/were.

You might be interested to know that the Beatles didn't break up until 1970. They are still arguably the best band to ever exist, and there are lots of us fans who are still alive (and cruising). Some would say we are the ones with the money 🙂

Wait, aren't some of your guests sleeping in the living room? Near the table? And you want the butler to set up for breakfast? That's just creepy.

Clearly a big difference in a haven suite vs. a non-haven suite! We never saw a white tablecloth all week, and when asked to bring us some fruit and gummies for a snack we never got them.

We were on the Pearl on June 17th in a non-haven suite. We never met our butler until the second day. That has never happened on any other cruise we have been on; I was shocked.