Russiamomm

Yes. You can cancel and rebid any time before the bid is accepted.

On the Casinos at Sea issue, I always book through them. Maybe I just don’t gamble enough, but my guy has always told me he can’t discount a Haven cabin. 😢

Yup! We’re in a 2BR for that sailing. After the military discount, a 20% off coupon and three CruiseNexts were paying $237 pp/pn, including all perks and the DSC. It’s dropped another $400 since our final payment. There’s still more than a dozen 2BRs left so I’m hoping it will drop again and I will ask for FCC for the difference. I do believe this is the best deal I’ve ever had, and likely will. 😃

We were on that. So disappointed to miss Bermuda. We never got off the ship. We’ve done those ports multiple times. Yesterday was quite the adventure headed back North! I have to say that I was not impressed with CCL, though. The entire time I missed NCL. 😔. Luckily I’ll be back “home” on the Encore next month.

Great deals on the Epic TA out of Rome on December 1. 16 nights to Cape Canaveral. Lots of Haven cabins still available starting around $3400 a person. We got a 2BR suite. Between the 10% military discount and an additional 20% coupon I had for European sailings we got a great deal, paying less than 8k all in, including gratuities and all perks. Prices are continuing to fall. We got two price reductions before final payment. Prices have dropped once more since then. We’re holding off, but will try for an additional FCC when I think the prices have reached a bottom.

I believe the only “dress code” is in LebBistro and the Manhattan Room (or whatever they call the MDR on different ships. Men must wear long pants. It can be jeans, just no shorts.

Definitely too close for comfort. Anything after noon should be fine, but 10AM is too early.

We were on a 16 night TA in April. There were nightly dinner specials, but that didn’t start until around a week into the cruise. Worked for us. Just about the point in the cruise where we were looking for something different. That being said, we never tired of the menu. There’s enough of a variety to keep you interested, and they will switch it up if you ask.

One of my old bosses called them “Subject Matter Enthusiasts” (as opposed to Subject Matter Experts”.) Being in a regulated industry, he called them the most dangerous people in the company. 😂

Is there still a smoking area in the Posh? I know there used to be one on the top level, but thought I read somewhere that they got rid of it.

We’re on that trip. Also in a 2BR! Can’t wait!

Haven went to live bidding on my April transatlantic. We put in a few bids and were immediately notified that we’d been outbid. We gave up and resolved ourselves to the fact that we weren’t going to be in the Haven. Just got too rich for us. Lo and behold, five days before sailing we got notice that our latest bid was accepted. We ended up in our preferred room, the 2 BR Haven. So all is not lost if it goes to live bidding. There is still hope as long as you don’t cancel the bid altogether. Some of it is luck. I know from the FB group that a family had to cancel the week before the trip, opening up another 2BR. While I feel for them and their family, it got us into the Haven for 16 nights for a reasonable amount of money,

Right there with you! My mother could squeeze a dime until it screamed, she thought me well. Although I can now afford not to, I still shop the specials at the grocery stores and buy most of my clothes at WalMart, Costco or thrift stores. Our kids tease me about it. But I like to think that years of being careful with our money has paid off. We can now afford to spend what we’ve saved on the things that really matter. Helping out the kids, spoiling our grandson and cruising well and often. 😂. And I hear you on the airfares! I remember the days you could upgrade to first class on an international flight for 15,000 miles. Those days are long gone. (I’m still too cheap to pay outright for first class air.)

I agree. We’ve worked hard our entire lives to be able to afford this. It’s only in recent years we’ve been able to afford to travel in anything other than coach. I don’t feel guilty, but do continue to feel awkward sometimes. 😃

Yes. Using a small plastic bag like a laundry bag from a hotel to line it also works well,

I agree on the walking past the lines, but sometimes it can’t be avoided. We were in a 2BR Haven last September on the Joy. The line to clear immigration in Portland literally spanned the length of the ship. We were walked past the entire line to cut in front of everyone to speak with the DHS agent. We got some smirks and heard some nasty comments, but the ship was not in a position to have a separate Haven exit to clear immigration. On the comment you got, there are no words. It reminds me of being avoided at a BMW dealer a few years back. Apparently based solely on my cut off jeans and a t-shirt they didn’t think I was able to afford the car and totally ignored me. After 20 minutes I took myself to the Audi dealer. They treated me like a queen. I wrote them a check for the car that same day. 😂

I’m afraid your status won’t apply until after your current trip. I was in the same situation last year. I was one night from Platinum when I boarded. I asked, but they do not elevate your status until the cruise is completed.

Sorry, drinks do not come with a Haven cabin. The same rules apply as anywhere else on the ship. You have to have a package or pay by the drink.

Agreed. Cash is best to avoid the service fee. There is also an ATM in the casino. It charges $5.99 for a withdrawal. Your bank may tack on an additional charge. Since my bank reimburses ATM charges, this is usually how I do it.

Nope. Very disappointing. It also doesn’t have the nice cabanas that the Joy has. Still plenty of umbrellas, etc, but I really liked my cabana on the Joy. Again, I would do the BA Haven again, but definitely preferred the Joy, for a number of reasons.

There is definitely still twice a day service in the Haven. I actually look at it as constant service between the steward and the Butler. Almost too much service. In my three times in the Haven, it was rare to walk down the hall without one of them being there and asking if we needed anything. 😂. as far as making up the bed, just let your steward know your preference. I travel often with a girlfriend. She prefers to just keep the bed made up in the second bedroom so it’s ready for a nap whenever she felt like one. 😃. But they will turn it back into a sofa, just need to ask.

I was in the Haven on the Breakaway in April/May of last year. Have also done two Haven cruises on the Joy. Honestly, I’m not sure if the roof retracts on the Breakaway. I don’t think it does, but it might. We never got in the pool. That being said, we much preferred the Haven on the Joy. We really didn’t like that the BA had no outdoor searing in the restaurant and “overflow” was in the pool area. No real loungers in the pool area as a result. it just seemed weird to eat a meal with people in the pool. We also really missed the Horizon Lounge. The BA doesn’t have one. We also missed the elevator in the Joy Haven. Again, the BA doesn’t have one. You have to use the stairs unless you go outside the Haven complex. To get to the sun deck, you had no choice but to take the stairs. also note that the BA does not have a hot tub on the sun deck, that was really disappointing. We enjoyed them on the Joy. That being said, the service was great and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Just preferred the Joy’s Haven.

I’ve never been in the Studios on the BA, but I believe the lounge is similar to the Escape. The lounge has pastries in the morning and snacks all day. There is a fabulous coffee machine. There is not a bar. I believe it has a wine dispenser, but it’s an extra cost and not included in any drink package. The space itself is bright and comfortable with sofas and a few tables. The nightly solo meetings are sometimes held there, but the last few times I’ve been on the BA, the meetings were in a public bar.

I tend to agree with this. It may be worth it if you like high end drinks, but I wouldn’t do it for the meals, and certainly wouldn’t buy an extra meal package. The food in the Haven Restaurant is better than anything else on the ship. We do the FAS meals to “shake it up” a bit, but we are usually on longer trips. If this is a seven night cruise you will only have three nights in the Haven restaurant. That’s not enough. 😂.

That makes sense. It’s altogether possible that is how it was calculated. Either way, the cost of the upgrade went down slightly since we booked it originally. I had asked for a quote for the upgrade back then and todays quote was lower. Probably because the cost of the balcony room dropped.