CatBoiler

That's crazy! Did they seem rushed every time you saw them?? Were all 16 cabins spa cabins so they were at least near each other??

I agree. I normally like Ben & David but I thought these 2, especially the Civitavecchia, were extremely deceiving. I did appreciate their train explanations though. I don't think nearly enough cruise passengers utilize the European train system. The cruise line excursions tend to be a total rip off and often a huge waste of time. My cruise's FB group has been discussing how to get from Rome to the port and I can't believe how many people are paying cabs and busses hundreds of dollars when the train ride is an hour and costs less than $5! Full disclosure, watching the Civitavecchia now and not completely done with it.

I honestly have *no idea* how many butlers there are. 3 seems extremely low though for those numbers. 1 butler for 14 cabins? What if they all request breakfast delivery in the same half hour?

I mean, that's a whole other issue, the sharing of the Haven benefits. I read a thread on CC a month or so ago where the person was angry 2 of her family members were asked to leave the Haven bar because they weren't Haven sailors. She complained that the bar wasn't even busy, so why can't they stay! *eye roll* People can still get away with "buying" free drinks for those without the bev package outside of the Haven. I assume people get away with ordering room service to their Haven cabin and getting food for visiting friends/family. I don't know if it would make it worse or not. Someone trying to cheat the system punishes everyone else. If the butler knows there's only 2 people in the cabin, then they can deliver 2 drinks at a time? At some point you just say eff it and let it slide. I want my coffee included damn it!

That's a good point, I hadn't thought of the cabins outside the Haven proper. Maybe there could be some sort of policy where if you order room service or have a specialty dining meal delivered, drinks are included? I would absolutely take a latte with my breakfast if it was included. I don't necessarily think the number of drink requests would be that insane though. Look at room service. It's free for the Haven but not *overly* requested. I think, in general, most people still want to eat/drink/socialize outside their cabin. I think "included with food delivery" would be a good compromise.

I think they paid so much because it was the inaugural sailing. They said it was around $9000 for the 2 of them, including the bid upgrade. They were in a basic Haven room. That's an insane amount. Their upgrade was $2k. So they were paying $7000 for a balcony room. I'm sailing on Prima in 21 days (just checked in, woo!) in the Haven and we have an Owner's Suite for that amount. Currently, the Haven aft facing penthouse (HB) is $7500 for 2 people. Their thoughts on value might be different on a different sailing. In terms of their other complaints, I've sailed in the Haven before and the service was *impeccable*. Now, I haven't sailed since COVID and insane inflation, so it's possible NCL might have cut back on staff to save money. But I think it's more likely the Viva just wasn't completely ready yet, staff wise. Which is definitely NCL's fault too. As for children in the Haven, I guess it depends when the cruise was. Cruises are much more likely to have children during the summer and holidays. And yeah, they should have been more forceful in their complaints. If there were kids running all over the 16+ sundeck, I would have complained until they were removed. My last Haven was in early Feb and we only saw 4 kids the entire week. Haven lounge/bar vibe - I dislike live music in a relaxing setting. It's usually way too loud to hold a conversation over and the Haven is supposed to be a "sanctuary" away from the chaos of the rest of the ship. So it's just a difference of preference for what type of bar you like. I like the quiet/relaxing, they want more upbeat. Haven restaurant menu - I think their complaints of it might have stemmed from their lack of knowledge because they didn't research the dining room much. No, the menu doesn't change. But it's highly customizable. Want the sauce from one dish on the protein of another? Just ask! Want something you saw on the main dining room's menu? Just ask! But give them an adequate heads up at breakfast or even dinner the night before. Want a lobster tail at every meal? Just ask! You can even have Indulge Food Hall brought to the Haven restaurant or even your cabin! On a 9 night cruise, we're only planning on having dinner in the Haven 4 times. Between specialty dining and being in port, the menu is more than adequate for us. Though I wholeheartedly agree the vegetarian options are lacking, but that's a fleet-wide issue. The biggest thing I agree on - the fact that if your butler brings you a drink, you have to pay extra for it. That's insane. I'm paying $9087.94 for this cruise. And we upgraded to Free at Sea Plus, which was another $882. NCL thinks I can have my butler deliver a specialty restaurant dinner to my cabin but if they also bring me a glass of wine, that's another charge! Especially in an Owners Suite! We already get complimentary pop & water in our cabin and 3 bottles of wine/liquor. But the wine options were *terrible*, $10 bottles I can buy at Kroger. If I want a decent glass of wine, that's covered by my drink package, I have to pay for it again! I think the Haven is fantastic and is a great value. But everyone's idea of a great value is different and I understand that.

Beware the anniversary cake. Our first Haven was for our honeymoon and they gave us a free cake to celebrate. It was terrible. Dry and completely flavorless. I'd go a different route for dessert.

They announced in (I think) June that 7 of their broadway shows are closing, including Six & Footloose. But didn't say the fate of Choir of Man or the Donna Summer musical.

I haven't been on the Prima yet, we sail in about 3 weeks. But if you look at the deck plans, you can kind of see how the balconies vary. For instance, based on the plans, I'd totally avoid decks 9 & 12. And on some of the decks, one side has a huge balcony and the other side is tiny. For perks, check out this post

Yes, however those are subject to a VAT refund https://thepointsguy.com/guide/vat-refund-how-it-works/

That is not the link I posted. I don't know how you got there. This is the link I posted...

The link I posted was not for 18 Euro pp. The link I posted was a "how to book" site, just like the mamalovesrome site. I purchased my tickets for 5 euro, using PayPal

Received my luggage tags in the mail today. I was looking forward to crafting my own but this works!

I am a severe overpacker, one of those that takes 20 shirts for a 10 day trip. I like having options! We're on the Prima at the end of October. Doing 3 days in Rome, 9 nights on Prima, then 2 in Barcelona. I bought a brand new 31" suitcase just for the trip! I might still try to send out a bag of laundry halfway through though.

I highly recommend checking out the Baths of Caracalla, they're pretty close to your hotel. It's the second largest Roman bath!

I have not done it yet...We have a cruise booked at the end of October and that is our plan though. It seems simple enough, the train station is within walking distance of the port. I've relied a lot on Rick Steves's travel videos for information. He takes a similar train in his Mediterranean cruise video (at 14:55). We plan on leaving the ship, stopping at this super cute little patisserie for a pastry, then grabbing a train.

Lots of times still available for Oct 5! Just an fyi, when I registered my email at the beginning, the confirmation email went to my spam box and wouldn't let me click on the link to verify my email. I moved the email to my inbox and the link worked then. Also, for credit card, my american Visa didn't work, so I used PayPal and it went through.

I booked for Oct 20th just two days ago. Try reading this, it was SUPER helpful. It's possible it's already sold out.

Someone went on the Bliss last year & commented. Someone went on the Joy a few weeks ago & commented. A dude that is LITERALLY ON THE BREAKAWAY RIGHT NOW commented. You just don't want to listen.

You sure are concerned about the liquor in the Haven. This is your second post about it & still aren't really trusting people's answers.

Feb 2017 - our honeymoon - 7 nights out of Port Canaveral We originally booked a Haven spa suite on Epic for around $5200. Called our cruise consultant about 2 weeks before embarkation and asked if there were any upgrades available. He moved us to a 2 bedroom family villa.

Travel with doggie poop bags. Extremely small & lightweight, fit in a purse/bag (or even pocket) with no issue! Quiet & discreet, waterproof. You can find scented ones if you're worried about odor. And if there's nowhere to dispose of it, can go back in your bag if you need it to! And they're SUPER cheap!

Royal Oyster House is delicious if you like oysters! And I *highly* recommend the National WWII Museum.

I also haven't been on Viva but the layout makes sense to me. It's the "economical" 2bed/2bath option in the Haven. If you want more space &/or are willing to pay (quite a bit) more money, the deluxe owners suite (H3) is an alternative.

I'm sailing Prima in October and my "what's on board" shows Price is Right instead of Supermarket Sweep. There aren't any videos on YouTube because you're not allowed to take pictures or video during the show (& apparently they're pretty strict about it). I've seen a few cruise reviews on YouTube where they go to the show & then after the show. People have said it's fun.