Beamco

I really like the forward facing PH's on all Breakaway ships - I stayed in 10108 on the Joy on a 17. day Panama Canal cruise - it vibrates quite a bit and is very loud when the Joy docks so beware if you like to sleep in you will wake up when docking!

While I have not made use of the changing rooms in the Haven Courtyard I do remember seeing the private spa treatment rooms and sauna at the front of the courtyard. I pasted a description of what is available note it says "changing room" no mention of lockers but some type of bag for your change of clothing would work. I also would not have a problem with placing my bag on a lounger while in the hot tub and I'm sure it would be quite safe, so no real need for a locker. Additionally, there are many seats and even a few tables in the courtyard that you can use for food and drink with table service from the Haven staff. Enjoy the Escape Haven I have experienced it twice and enjoyed it both times! The two-story Courtyard in The Haven has a retractable roof, a swimming pool, two whirlpools, private sundeck, private spa treatment rooms, changing areas, and a sauna.

All the deals I have seen are for Europe and Trans Atlantic but I am only searching for a November trip on NCL's newest ships. $500 for 2 people per night on the Prima and Viva are great deals for me! My "deal number" is usually a Haven cabin under $600 per night so these are even better for me but you are right it appears to be Europe or Trans Atlantic - the airfare can kill the "deal"!!! I have not pulled the trigger yet because airfare is so high or to many air miles.

One of several Prima and Viva cruises I am tracking right now- all at least 10 days: PRICE SUMMARY STATEROOM 2 Guests The Haven Penthouse with Balcony $6,366 70% Off 2nd Guest $4,137.90 FREE AT SEA Open Bar Selected Specialty Dining Selected Shore Excursions Included WiFi Included +MORE OFFERS 70% Off 2nd Guest Included GRATUITIES Open Bar Gratuities $436 Specialty Dining Gratuities $39.60 Subtotal $4,613.50

I was on the Bliss in the Haven as a Gold Level and for reasons unknown to me and my wife we were invited to dinner in Cagney's with the Captain. It was the same night as the officers party in the Haven Lounge. At the end of the party 3 couples and the Captain went to dinner at Cagney's. The captain was very engaging and led much of the conversation as he answered our questions very memorable and a great evening!

I get a bagel with my Lox on every cruise in the Haven! I even have it toasted for me! It has never been a problem!

While I don't write a letter - I pay attention to the letter suggestions and all the knowledge imparted through other letter writers who have replied to the @Sthrngary thread. I have a nice getting to know you chat with the Butler day one. I am always grateful and pleasant in my interactions with them and they always seem to respond with great service without me really asking for it! What a novel idea being pleasant gets rewarded! I look at the OP's post differently - the OP went looking for an issue with the Haven and found it. Stranger things can be true but I was in a FF Haven cabin for 15 days in early 23 on floor 10 , my butler was awesome, my room steward equally awesome, 50/50 chance I was in the same cabin as the OP. I can't see the Haven experience on Joy going downhill that much since I got off in early Feb! I didn't ask for much but what was asked for was immediately accommodated - including chocolate chip cookies! The afternoon snacks are not always the greatest but the ones that I like I eat, the ones that I don't want I ask the Butler to not deliver them and to bring something else - I ask for PB&J sandwiches and BLT's and I always get them once or twice per cruise, the pates and other canopies rarely come to my room because I ask them not to bring them. I explain they will only be wasted. I love going to the Haven bar ordering drinks chatting for a few moments with whoever is there or the bartenders and then taking the short walk back to the Horizon Lounge - typically in the afternoon - and watch the sun go down, oh the horror I had to walk 200 feet to get a drink to enjoy in the Horizon Lounge. Oh and if there was a snack I liked from the Horizon Lounge i.e. Pretzel Rolls I didn't ask the Butler for them I wrapped a few up in a napkin and brought them to my room for later, easy peasy I had what I wanted with little to no effort and I didn't even have to ask the Butler to do something I easily could do myself. Because I read the posts of the letter writers I know to expect a leisurely paced meal in the Haven restaurant, and I also know I can ask for multiple lobster tails with dinner, or more dumplings in the chicken consommé, etc. I am always grateful when they accommodate a request and I am always understanding when they can't - but for some reason maybe it's that concept of being pleasant and only making reasonable requests I have not been told no for anything in the Haven Restaurant, and neither has my daughter who tends to travel with my wife and I. Patrick has been the concierge on at least 2 of my cruises and has been visible and helpful each time, along with the entire concierge team - they have been great and provide the services noted by @graphicguy above. Personally I can't wait to sail in a Haven with Patrick as the concierge again. And for what it's worth (which is basically not very much!) I read these threads and the FB threads often and I am seriously tired of the postings referring to the entitled attitude of Haven Cruisers and I do take insult to the OP's comments on "letter writers" and use of the word "entitled!" The rare entitled people I have met in the Haven could never diminish my enjoyment of the Haven! Again if you look for it you will find it - me I choose to be blissfully ignorant as I relax and unwind in the Haven that I worked so hard to be able to be in once or maybe twice per year - I'm on vacation and nothing is going to spoil it for me and believe me even in the Haven I have had things happen that I could complain about all day online but again I adjust so I can enjoy my hard earned vacation - unfortunately most of this world is looking for ways to denigrate things under the guise of just posting my honest opinion. An honest opinion can be posted without insulting a multitude of people with snarky snide comments!

You should never say never but I don't think I will ever sail on Getaway, Breakaway or Escape again! Solely because of the smoke from the casino spreading across all of the main activity areas on decks 6-7-8. If that does not bother you they are all great ships to vacation on. So far Bliss has been my favorite of all the Breakaway and + class.

We stay in the FF cabins often - regardless of higher or lower deck the walk to or from the elevators will seem "far" to someone who wants to be "just an elevator ride away" - more like a third of the ship not half!

I was on the Joy for 15 days in January and found very few issues on my return to cruising. However one big issue was how bad the coffee is now. I used to love the French Press in the Haven but it was almost undrinkable every day. At home I drink my coffee black with stevia as my sweetener so the coffee needs to be good. I switch between grinding various beans at Fresh Market and ordering a few varieties from Black Rifle Coffee. I find Starbucks to be undrinkable however it is made and I think that is what they use in the French Press in the Haven now. The only reason I wanted to get off the ship was to get a good cup of coffee!

Thank you @BirdTravels Good info as always!

@BirdTravels Were these pictures taken at the middle of the terminal or off to the left side of the building? I ask because we embarked in Miami and Jan 25th - we arrived some time between 12 and 12;30 - the Uber dropped us off at the far left side of the terminal - this was the only place he could pull in because the parking at the middle of the terminal was filled with buses - it looked like the buses were letting passengers off probably from the airport. I gave my bags to a porter then I dove into a sea of humanity! Needless to say it was a zoo. There were very long lines everywhere outside the terminal. Having sailed haven many times before I walked to what I thought was the middle of the terminal looking for signage but saw none. I saw a terminal official and asked where to check in for Haven they sent me back to the far left side of the terminal, they instructed me to go to the head of the very long line and tell the guard I was Haven, I did that, they let me in an area where it appeared people who needed assistance were waiting. I had to show my documentation to someone at a folding table , they then let me get on an elevator that brought me right up to the Haven security, check in and lounge area. I never once saw a Haven sign until I got off that elevator. It all worked out and it was probably just me trying to multitask in a sea of humanity. Other than a few anxious moments thinking I would have to stand outside in a line outside that was incredibly long embarkation went real smooth. I am planning another Haven trip from Miami soon and would like to avoid the mess so if anyone can tell me what I missed it would be appreciated! I also may have arrived just when the Joy passengers from the previous cruise were still disembarking and loading onto the buses delivering passengers from the airport either way it seemed like they were not letting people in at the middle of the terminal but were sending them through the left side of the building, maybe that's why I didn't see any Haven signage, or again it was just me LOL

Everyone who thinks rules should be bent for them because they are traveling for a "special occasion" should read this; https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-03-15/white-lotus-vibes-hawaii-superstitions-and-other-resort-secrets That being shared - sail aways at the beginning of the cruise are loose and if your grandson wants to take pictures I am fairly certain no will complain, and probably not complain if he is taking pictures as you sail into and out of other ports, but you are correct you run the risk if he is occupying a lounger etc.

@mickeysgal I don't have pictures of the balcony but looking at the deck plan for the Encore it should be the same situation as the Bliss. The last time this was discussed on these threads a lot of people joined in and commented on these cabins for the Bliss - perhaps someone who has stayed in 17126 or 17726 on the Encore can comment and with luck have pictures! If it is the same large balcony you will enjoy it. I noticed in another comment that some people have been successful asking the pre cruise Haven concierge for loungers on their deck and they were there when they arrived, it can't hurt to ask - if not your room attendant will do it for you. During the day you will hear the music coming from the main deck but for me that added to the experience. At night it is quiet. Enjoy your cruise and please follow up with your experience I am currently searching daily for a deal on the Encore and will book it when it happens and will also hope to get cabin 126/726!

@mickeysgal The balcony in room 17726 on ships like the Bliss are huge because they are next to to a storage area of some type that is at the end of the hall. It is my favorite cabin on the Bliss - the balcony could easily handle two lounge chairs along with the standard table and chairs. I have only asked for one lounge chair and the crew always delivers it for me. The only downside is there is a door for the crew access across the hall - it is busy in the AM as the crew begins to work for the day - they tend to let the door slam - I sleep heavy and wake up fairly early so it did not bother me - my wife sleeps through it - but light sleepers who like to sleep in may be bothered by the noise. The next time I cruise Haven proper I will look to book 17126 it has the same large balcony and hopefully less crew traffic in the morning. My guess is all Breakaway Plus ships have the same balcony situation for 17126 and 17726.

We just stayed in a FF haven on deck 10 on the Joy - I won't say never again because I will stay in any Haven cabin. I say never again because the noise and vibration when docking was significant but if it's the only Haven cabin available at a rate I am willing to pay I will stay that low again. The most important thing to me is Haven access, I like the room and space offered in the FF cabin, the bathrooms don't compare and having space to go to and have coffee when my wife is still asleep is also a big plus for us. For what it's worth when we got off the cruise 2 weeks ago my wife commented to me that she wanted to be in the Haven Complex on our next cruise so that will be the plan but any Haven cabin will do for us.

Just off the Joy and this webpage does not really cover all the entertainment of the ship. We saw Footloose, Elements, The Beatle Show, 3 different Comedians plus a joint comedy show, we saw a great singing act called DIVAS 3, they had an Illusionist and acrobat type act (they also performed in Elements) I am sure the entertainment changes cruise to cruise but the "entertainment" offered is so much more than Footloose and Elements on Joy.

Just off the Joy and really was not aware of the water "perk" 3 in the cabin all gold and we had over 20 cartons of "FLOW" water in the room upon check in.

Just stayed in a FFPH on the Joy and I have stayed in one on the Bliss as well. I love this cabin for many reasons - most of all because of the two rooms. This Joy Cruise my daughter slept there and on my Bliss cruise I wake earlier than my wife I would get out of bed make a Nespresso and read and or watch TV without disturbing her. The bathroom is great, lots of storage etc. However if you need a large balcony experience this is not the Haven Cabin for you, the balcony is small on every FFPH cabin - there is not a wrap a round balcony. For us we don't care we spend our outdoor time on the Haven sundeck.

I don't follow the officers on any of the ships so I don't know who the Assistant General Manager was - Patrick was the concierge and we have sailed with him as Concierge before and he was great as always.

So earlier in this thread I commented that I would give you my take on the Haven experience on my first cruise post Covid. Prior to Covid I only cruised Haven, when I began to look at my return to the Haven I also found many Haven cruises were way over priced even for the Haven experience pre-covid. However I sat on the NCL website everyday and kept looking for a reasonably priced Haven cruise and was hoping it would be on a Breakaway Plus ship that I had not sailed on yet, Encore was too expensive for me but I came across a 15 day Panama Canal cruise from Miami to LA on the Joy (departed Jan 21 arrived in LA on Feb 5) I paid roughly $3500 each for the first two guests in a Forward Facing Haven PH. My daughter came along and her fare was roughly $600. I used to try to keep the 7 days cruises I went on at a fare of $3000 per first 2 guests , so $3500 to me is/was a real bargain for a 15 day PC cruise. FYI during the last 5 days before the cruise a FF Haven cabin opened up and it was listed at $2850 per person. So if you are flexible and watch the web - deals come around all the time. Now that I am back and spent 15 days in the Haven my impression is the Haven has lost nothing post COVID and the value is absolutely still there if you look for it. I was worried based on all the comments I read here and my concerns turned out to be completely unfounded. I upgraded to the FAS+ - I don't know if I drank enough to make it worth it but I do know I could have had top shelf liquor all day all 15 days if I wanted . As it is we ordered over 25 bottles of wine - had bottles of great Rose at lunch, very solid Cabs, Blends and Pinot's - I drank Woodford, Grey Goose, Titos JW Blue and tried a few single malts etc. The top shelf liquor brands never ran out- We had Starbucks , Specialty Coffees, bottled water etc. We always found something great to drink when we wanted it. Any wine by the glass was available on the + package, with 3 of us drinking more often than not they just opened a bottle for us but didn't place it on the table. Some popular bottles of wine did run out before the end of the cruise. Like @Sthrngary I like paying before I board and not worrying the rest of the cruise and the + package really hit the mark for me. The added $50 per tour helped, the unlimited internet use was enough for us - all in all the + was good but even with trying a lot of different drinks I probably did not hit the quantity mark needed to justify it. I may not do it next cruise but the peace of mind way of thinking may win out again. For 15 days I had fantastic service on all accounts from the Haven staff, Butlers, Concierge, Wait Staff, Wine Steward, etc. the list goes on and on. My wife got real sick from over 20 hours of rough seas at the start of the cruise and our Butler did everything he could to make her comfortable - we did room service for breakfast , he brought her light meals when my daughter and I went out for dinner, he brought her Ginger Ale and Green Apple juice, again the service went above and beyond and I can't say enough good things about service throughout the ship. We had 3 nights of specialty dining plus 2 from the + package 5 nights total- we then bought 5 nights for my daughter. We ate at Le Bistro our favorite and it still is, then we used a dinner voucher at Food Republic 4 items per and 12 items were way to much food, we ate at Tepanayki next it was also way to much food. I had the seafood dish, the shrimp were truly colossal, the scallops and grilled calamari also were great. We had them back way off on the garlic in our dishes and this made the food much better there to our tastes. The garlic we didn't eat others asked for it in their meals so to each his own. We asked they accommodated and we enjoyed Tepanayki more than we ever have. We then ate at Cagney's none of us had steak and it was a strong dining experience. I had a Veal Chop, was it steak house quality - NO - but it was very well prepared and a good meal. The list price for the Chop was $45, the Chop House on land that I like to go to for Veal Chop is $110 right now, at $110 it melts in your mouth for $45 it was not melt in your mouth good but still a great meal. If you are looking to compare Cagney's to your favorite land based Steak/Chop house you will be disappointed but all in all it was a great dining experience. We also ate at Ocean Blue and really enjoyed our meal but as another thread stated the specialty restaurants are preparing their foods in a manner to be very middle of the road, little seasoning etc. for me that is fine and it fits my expectations and I am a very picky eater. This stood out the most at Ocean Blue. The Joy did not offer Food Republic at 50% off on the first night, we like it so we used it as one of our specialty dinners, we also ate lunch at the American Diner - had some appetizers, burgers, sandwiches nothing memorable but it was fine and we did not want 15 lunches at the Haven with the same menu every day. In fact by day 13 we would sit down for lunch and stare at the menu and try to figure out what to eat - again. For dinner they had a special every night in the Haven, however while it offered something different from the same menu every night they were simply taking one item off of the Main Dining room menu and offering it as a Haven Special. We tried them a couple of nights they were good but my review back to NCL was that I felt it harmed the Haven brand because preparation did not compare to the preparation on the other Haven dinner offerings. But all in all a different choice was welcome. For those that asked in other threads they no longer offer Captain Morgan it is Bacardi Spice - I was told it was fleet wide. If you have questions ask I will try to answer - but for me (a very opinionated person) the Haven experience is all that it ever was and maybe even better. So much so my wife and daughter pre cruise were not sure they even wanted to cruise again, by cruise end the 2 of them were looking for a Haven deal to Alaska! For me that is a huge win.

@Sthrngary Thank you for all your insight! From reading your very thoughtful posts I'm sure you did not take this decision lightly! I am finally returning to cruising post COVID and as always I am in the Haven this time with the upgraded drink package. I am nervous that this cruise won't measure up to my pre COVID experiences but what has? This will be my 5th vacation since March of 22. I did a trip to Costa Rica that was a disaster even when staying at a fairly high end resort (the Westin in Guanacaste) I also went to Oahu for the first time stayed in a more than decent resort (The Kahala) Oahu was awesome despite people telling me it's not like Maui or the Big Island implying I wouldn't like it etc. I went and loved every minute of the trip, food was great, nightlife great, hotel a bit worn/dated but great. Took 5 days to explore Charleston SC and had many memorable meals, experiences and drinks throughout that trip. I then did a 12 day road trip through Oregon, I never did an extended road trip like this before bottom line I loved every minute of that vacation, while staying primarily in Best Westerns and eating all over. I always thought a cruise in the Haven was my preferred way to vacation but I quickly learned as I have about my entertainment choices day to day there are many ways to spend your hard earned money and enjoy it. Point is I don't need to cruise to enjoy my vacation times! That being said I will have a great time on my upcoming 15 day cruise but I will know right away if NCL is worth my time and money for future vacations - post cruise we will see if I am joining you in finding alternative vacations and eliminating cruising for the foreseeable future. I am worried NCL is trying to be all things to all cruisers or to use an old phrase a Jack of all Trades Master of None. Today's world economies are tough to navigate, NCL needs to decide is they are a mass market cruise line or a higher level "near luxury" cruise line. Make a choice they can't survive and thrive trying to satisfy all cruisers especially in today's economy. Watering down the product won't win in the long run! By the way I will be on the Joy with the Upgraded FAS package - 5 nights speciality dining going from Miami to LA through the Panama Canal - I will answer any questions you may have - post cruise. Good Luck to you and I hope you have many days "Happy Vacationing" in your future!

3OfDiamonds go to your cruise page open up the upgrade page then click on review your bid that should show you what level your bid is at - there is a meter to the right of your bid that is color coded etc. Or you could also click on modify your bid and that should bring you to a page with the same meter

Typing this made me curious I just checked and the link is still active here is what it says - I am not interested in a real time auction: Real Time Bidding has been opened for this upgrade type! For a limited time, this special feature will allow guests to be notified of whether they are currently one of the highest bids on select upgrade types and notify them when they have been outbid.

I am leaving 11 days from now on the Joy and I have upgrade bids on 5 different cabin types. Yesterday I received e-mails on 3 of them that told me I was out bid and to raise my bid to better my chances. These e-mails came from Norwegian Upgrade Advantage. When I clicked on the links provided it brought me to a live auction page that allowed me to "raise my bid and showed how many bidders there were on each cabin type. All of my original bids were in the low fair category. I am already in the Haven all bids were for a higher tier Haven cabin. I raised my bid by only a few dollars and immediately received a notice for all three that I was still outbid. At this point I will keep my original cabin I will not raise my bid. FYI the notice did not say I will not get an upgrade but to "better my chances" I should bid higher. I anticipate no upgrade and all of my bids are currently marked pending.