hero78

I can't remember the last time we received physical luggage tags in the mail. But we're in Canada, so maybe that makes a difference? We've started doing just carry on so it doesn't really matter for us. They will have tags at the terminal to attach for you as well if you prefer to wait til you get there.

This thread is such a wealth of good information and advice! I'm hoping to add to this in a small way by telling you all about our recent Haven experience on the Joy last month. This was our first Haven experience. We sailed out of Panama City for a 10-day to Miami including a canal transit. We took the BOGO airfare offer from NCL for the first time (without a whole lot of research) as we weren't interested in coming early or staying after as my schedule was constricted due to work commitments. After it was booked I started seeing some alarming stories about the flights from NCL here on CC that got me worried. Thankfully it was smooth flying the whole way! A longer run from Vancouver with an overnight flight and 2 layovers before arriving in Panama around 2pm on the day of departure. The Joy was scheduled to leave Panama at 11:59pm for a canal transit to begin at 5am, so we weren't too worried about coming in that afternoon. Our flight home from Miami was direct to Vancouver. We had about 8 hours to kill after getting off the ship before our flight but it was wildly rainy and windy so we just hung out at the airport the whole day. We had read about the predatory taxi drivers in Panama City and were prepared to take an Uber from the airport to the cruise terminal, but one of those taxi drivers right out the door convinced us to use him and he agreed to match the Uber price. It was $35US and he took us right to the terminal entrance. It was pretty great! There's still some construction around the new terminal in Panama but the terminal building is beautiful. Because a lot of embarkation had already occurred before we got there we sailed through check-in and didn't have a chance to enjoy the Haven lounge area or snacks before Mr X was escorting us onto the ship. We decided to skip the Haven briefing and go directly to our cabin. We booked a forward facing penthouse on deck 12. As soon as we reached our suite the announcement came in the middle of the emergency drill - so we had missed the beginning of it and decided if we started the trek down to the Brewhouse we would probably miss the whole thing by the time we got there! Oh well. We've been on enough cruises that we felt comfortable missing out on the emergency drill. We were dead tired from our almost 24 hours of travel to get there and took a nap! We set our alarm so early the next morning so we could be up to witness the first set of canal locks at 5am! It was very interesting and with a slightly overcast but very warm day ended up being the best weather day on the whole cruise! Now I'll overview the best, the bad, and the worst of our cruise. The best: Our butler Dennis was amazing! So responsive. We used the Butler letter and I think he struggled with the English a bit as it took him 2 days to get through it. But all our requests were granted and he went above and beyond. He noticed what afternoon snacks we liked and brought those more often. We also got a bowl of peanut M&Ms and a bowl of gummy bears. (I confess to putting the leftovers in a ziploc baggy and putting them into my bag for the plane ride home!) Dennis came by and said good bye the night before arriving in Miami and we gave him the rest of his well deserved tip. He was getting off the ship immediately on arrival as this was his last cruise before he was getting vacation time off to go home and see his 3 month old baby girl who he hadn't even met yet! Our steward Jay was also fantastic! SO quick. There must be a magic way they know when you've left the cabin because even if we were gone for a short time the room was spotless when we got back. I think we surprised him once in the middle of his clean. The Haven restaurant had the best food on the ship hands down. I have some dietary special needs (modified Low FODMAP) and some allergies, and had filled out and submitted the special needs form pre-cruise. The restaurant manager called our room when I hadn't gone to meet him on the first day and we arranged to meet to discuss. I usually was able to pre-order my dinner meal the night before and the kitchen would make the entree I chose but without the ingredients I'm sensitive too. Reduced the spontaneity of dinner time and a couple times I decided not to go to dinner I would get a call (because the kitchen was prepared to make it) so I would usually feel obliged to show up and eat it. One time Dennis brought my special meal to our room and I ended up sharing it with my husband. The almond croissant did not disappoint and was a feature at every breakfast along with the smoked salmon. The Bananoffee Cream dessert at lunch time! My life is complete now. One day I just had that for lunch. A dream I didn't know I had come true. Perhaps NCL has listened to the complaints about the lack of menu variety in the Haven, but each night at dinner there was a "Chef's Special" appetizer, entree, and dessert. Essentially it was something that the main dining room was serving and each time my husband tried it it was underwhelming and disappointing and he regretted not ordering something from the Haven menu instead. He tried the main dining room a couple times (for second dinner - cue eye roll) and the buffet but reported the Haven restaurant was far better. The chef's special desserts were the best, a couple nights it was the lava cake and one night it was mexican chocolate cake, both delicious. We ate at Teppanyaki once and it was meh. We've had better Japanese steak house experiences and better food here in Vancouver, but it was fun and we met some interesting people at the table and got a very nice souvenir photo. The Horizon Lounge and the sundeck are amazing spaces and we enjoyed the comfort and quiet and room in the hot tubs (when the space was open!) I'm not much of a drinker so I only used the Haven bar once but the drink I was given was spectacular. I don't even know what it was, I just asked for something with gin and not too sweet. It was blue and delightfully tart. The Elements show was amazing. So good. Such talent. The Beatles Story band was ok. Fun music but the 'Paul' singer mumbled so it was hard to understand the lyrics. One comedian was great, and the other was ok but reused a lot of material in subsequent shows. No other big shows in the theatre as Footloose recently ended. Bit of a disappointment. We did check out karaoke a couple times and were very impressed with the level of talent within the passengers! We also really loved the priority embarkation and disembarkation and the quick escorted elevator rides on and off. Now for the bad: I tried to do some research and find reviews on the cabin we booked but could not find much info. Being all the way forward we had a good view out our window for the canal transit and the balcony, though small, was sufficient and enjoyable. The comfort and amenities were top notch, when the ship was stationary. The long walk to the stairs/elevator did not look far on the deck plans but near the end of the cruise was getting old, especially with the rough seas we had (more on that later), so I ended up spending most of the last 2 days in my room. Each time the thrusters of the ship were used for manoeuvring in and out of port our entire cabin shook, and cabinets banged in vibration and there was a very loud rumble. Our sleep was almost daily interrupted with the early arrivals in port. I plan to go write a cabin review so I can hopefully save some folks in the future. If you're an early riser it might not be a big deal, but I enjoy sleeping in on vacation so that was a disappointment. Afternoon naps and early bedtimes became a regular thing. We didn't get a chance to try the go karts as it was often closed due to weather. They closed the Galaxy Pavilion during rough weather as well. And the worst: This has nothing to do with NCL or the Haven and was just sheer bad luck! The weather was terrible. Cold front, high winds, very rough seas, and daily rain. The sundeck was closed very often, and we couldn't stop in Costa Maya as the pier was too dangerous with the wind and waves. All the beach shore excursions in Cozumel were cancelled due to wind and tide. Our beach villa at Harvest Caye was soggy, no sun, and we were eaten alive by bugs. We felt so sorry for all the employees at Harvest Caye. You could feel their disappointment at how few people even got off the ship. And they told us that the previous day the ships hadn't even stopped as the weather was too bad. We left a good tip anyways because they were so desperate to make our day enjoyable. We have never experienced such rough seas on a cruise. Even crew were getting sea sick. I have never suffered motion sickness (only once years ago when pregnant), but the constant unpredictable tossing around we got just made me feel dizzy and off. Not nauseous, but my appetite disappeared, and walking around became very difficult. Hence I basically lived in the cabin the last couple days but got to enjoy room service, finished my book, and watched several new movies. We were thinking of booking a transatlantic for spring but I need some distance from this last cruise so my memories of the rough seas fade before I risk that many days at sea. We're now considering a train trip in Europe somewhere instead, but Cruise Critic doesn't offer much advice about train journeys so I'll have to look elsewhere for my research. Researching and planning a trip is just as much fun for me as the trip itself. If you've made it this far in the post bravo and thanks! In the end we loved the Haven experience. We got it for a pretty good price compared to what we're seeing now, so future Haven excursions will have to be planned and budgeted for carefully.

Yes. Tomorrow. Hoping some of the unrest is reduced with the recent court ruling there.

About to head to the airport to fly to Panama for our very first Haven experience on the Joy! I'm so excited. I have my butler letter ready. Thanks to everyone who has given such great advice. I'll post a review when we home. 🙂