phauenstein

15 hours ago, J0Y0US said:

I will just say the non-rotating menu isn't that big of a deal because there is enough variety to get different things most days during a week long cruise.

 

Plus I suspect you got 1 or 2 specialty dining credits which mix up the week further as well.

Yes, we have two specialty dining credits we will be using.  My wife is a really picky eater, so that standing menu, although enough options for me, might get really repetitive for her unfortunately.

On 12/19/2022 at 7:23 PM, EngIceDave said:

To clarify something....

I may get $100 cabins from the casino, but I dump a ton of money into their casino, so it ain't free.

 

Casino comps are not FREE, that is a fallacy the casinos want you to buy into, "free stuff," that's why casinos always have give aways.

 

I pay more for my cabin and free beverages than people paying rack rate. 

I haven't been on a Carnival Cruise in 6 years, so I haven't put any coin in at Carnival specifically since 2016.  I still get offers for $100 per person 7-day cruises from their casino offers.  I do gamble at Caesars and MGM properties on occasion and they may be sharing information, but hell, I would love to take them up on more offers if my wife's leave policy (nurse) was a little more flexible.

On 12/19/2022 at 10:20 AM, shof515 said:

 

On NCL they do something similar with 1 point for interior, oceanview and balcony and double points for suite  

Yes, I just booked a Haven Suite with NCL and got 3 points per night, so 21 points.  It's going to almost get me from Silver to Gold in one booking.  I get 1 per night standard, an extra 1 per night for the suite, and I booked on a returning rewards member offer for another 1 point per night.

2 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

And you get a private jacuzzi tub in your stateroom. 

The Haven Spa suites on the Epic no longer have the private jacuzzi tub in the room.

25 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

So far, you have hit two home-runs. The Thermal Suite on the Epic is the best in the fleet. And the Haven on the Epic is the best in the fleet. 
 

So, what is the "Thermal Spa" in simple terms.  I read the description and I'm still not 100% on what it is, what's included, what a really basic guy would be interested in, and maybe more-over, how busy is it, is it 24 hours, are there busier times?  I really wanted the spa suite because they used to have the in room hot tub.  I was disappointed that the rehab of the Haven area took the in room tubs out.  They still appear to have them in other ships.

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

ALMOND CROISSANTS!!!!!! 

Looks tasty for a morning treat.

2 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

So far, you have hit two home-runs. The Thermal Suite on the Epic is the best in the fleet. And the Haven on the Epic is the best in the fleet. 

As soon as you embark, have the concierge book your shows and fix dining reservations. Make sure that you ask and understand which shows (if any) that the concierge will provide a private escort into the shows and the meeting times. 
 

Then after a lovely embarkation lunch in the Haven Restaurant, explore the Haven. Get up on the Posh Club sun deck and meet your bartenders. Find the private gym looking down on the courtyard (even if you don’t use it, you can say you were there). Find the private steam room and saunas behind the pool. Explore the two story lounge and find the outside restaurant (which is a great space to hang out on). 
 

On busy port days, we have our butler bring breakfast to the room and serve it on a white tablecloth. There will be check box hang tags in the room. Ignore the check boxes and order anything you want from the Haven restaurant. Steak, fried eggs, omelets, egg white omelets, ham, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, hash browns, filled tomato, sautéed mushrooms, breads of your choice, fruits, juices. 

 

Make friends with your butler and let them know what your preferences are. They will bring the default daily snack. But make special requests if you want (we always order a PB&J sandwich for us big kids). Coordinate stuff like gummy bears, M&M (plain or peanut), bar mix with your butler. What isn’t eaten ends up in a zip lock daily and we (somewhat illegally) take it ashore for shore ex snacks. 

 

The link below has some photos of foods in the Haven. As you can see, we add a lobster tail or two to every dinner entree. We don’t do the Surf and [tony] Turf, we select the larger rib eye and add a couple of lobster tails. 

 

 

That's awesome, this was the type of stuff I was looking for.  Was there anything you asked of your butler or know that can be asked that you think would be odd or was just something you ended up getting a lot of enjoyment from?

1 hour ago, dexddd said:

The Haven experience can vary widely for people.  It sounds like you got a very proactive shoreside concierge which is unusual.

 

The biggest benefits we like are in room breakfast on shore days.  You can order off the Haven menu.  They won't bring drinks under a package to room though.

I don't drink anymore and the wife rarely has a glass of wine or rum punch, so we just buy drinks as we go anyways. I get a couple of non-alcoholic beers normally and maybe something while gambling, like a virgin daquiri.

Our trip in September, we booked a mid-afternoon boarding.  The line was super long and we arrived almost an hour before our scheduled time.  We waited a long time to get on.  We didn't realize that the shows had to be booked, prior to COVID, it was always first come until it was full.  So when we finally decided which nights a show would work for us a couple days in, there was nothing we could get.  This coming trip we're doing a Haven Suite.  We have to check out of our San Juan hotel between 8am and 11am, so we are planning to arrive sometime early, with Haven we should walk right on, that way we can get to the concierge and have lunch on board.

So, all in, Haven Spa Suite, 7-day on the Epic to Southern Caribbean, $6,000 or $3,000 per person, including gratuities, transfers, and BOGO airfare to San Juan.  I thought it was a pretty good deal for a Silver member.  This cruise alone will earn us an additional 21 points and is our first time in a suite.  We should be a couple nights away from gold after it.

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

11 minutes ago, phauenstein said:

So we booked a Haven Spa Suite for the first time, on the Epic.  Other than the Thermal Spa access (please let me know what that is in layman's terms), we don't know what is really included.

 

Does anyone have any good or bad stories about the Haven Restaurant for breakfast/lunch/dinner.  I'm looking to get a good idea about the hours and food options, especially breakfast/brunch.  Is there anything you can ask for in the Haven Restaurant that they don't have, I heard someone say you can ask for anything being made at any of the other restaurants and they will make it and bring it to you (not that I would ask for that).

 

We are really simple folks, so this is a big splurge for us.  When I called to change my flights (arrive early), the concierge asked if we wanted to set up our room.  I had no idea that was such a thing as we're used to inside rooms, maybe a basic balcony.  They asked about how many pillows, what type of pillow, if we wanted fresh juice (fresh juice, didn't know that was an option), then asked if we wanted lemonade or iced tea (didn't know that was an option).  Then they started asking if we liked dried fruit and nuts as well as M&Ms and Gummi Bears.  Heck I like all that stuff.  I'm interested in hearing from people what are some other reasonable requests that will be filled as a Haven Suite cruiser?  I don't want to be that guy asking for everything under the sun and becoming a problem, but if I don't know what I can ask for (without an up charge, we will tip), as a simple guy, I probably won't ask for anything.

Looking for ideas and open to almost anything.

Thanks, that will help my wife in visually seeing what they have so we can decide if we want to eat there more regularly than the rotating menus in the main restuarants.

We did in September, but it was right before they started opening to unvaccinated cruisers.  I think our ship was still running at partial capacity, so we went from an inside to a balcony for I think $120 per person.  It was really nice and affordable.  I am hearing now that they are ramping up capacity with unvaccinated guests, things are starting to sell out, so it's not that you wouldn't have gotten one, but there's a chance those rooms are just sold out.

So we booked a Haven Spa Suite for the first time, on the Epic.  Other than the Thermal Spa access (please let me know what that is in layman's terms), we don't know what is really included.

Does anyone have any good or bad stories about the Haven Restaurant for breakfast/lunch/dinner.  I'm looking to get a good idea about the hours and food options, especially breakfast/brunch.  Is there anything you can ask for in the Haven Restaurant that they don't have, I heard someone say you can ask for anything being made at any of the other restaurants and they will make it and bring it to you (not that I would ask for that).

We are really simple folks, so this is a big splurge for us.  When I called to change my flights (arrive early), the concierge asked if we wanted to set up our room.  I had no idea that was such a thing as we're used to inside rooms, maybe a basic balcony.  They asked about how many pillows, what type of pillow, if we wanted fresh juice (fresh juice, didn't know that was an option), then asked if we wanted lemonade or iced tea (didn't know that was an option).  Then they started asking if we liked dried fruit and nuts as well as M&Ms and Gummi Bears.  Heck I like all that stuff.  I'm interested in hearing from people what are some other reasonable requests that will be filled as a Haven Suite cruiser?  I don't want to be that guy asking for everything under the sun and becoming a problem, but if I don't know what I can ask for (without an up charge, we will tip), as a simple guy, I probably won't ask for anything.

Looking for ideas and open to almost anything.