Sthrngary

@jleslie48 Well thank you for agreeing with my post. Spend YOUR money where you feel it will be the best value. Now and allow me to say it again. Your point has been made, you don't like the Haven. Opinions are all we really have. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@nu#1 Thank you for taking the time. It impresses me that you choose to post on your journey. You have been on CruiseCritic.com for a very long time and rarely post. That to me makes your post even more important. The noise issue was nice to hear. So was your opinion of Ember. But what I will really take to heart is the Odyssey Menu. My upcoming Vista Cruise I will make that a reservation. Thank you for that. Please post more. You are clear, fair and easy to understand. Much appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@jleslie48 Them there are the RULES. It is 200, not 400 Haven Guests. Haven guest pay 3 times plus more then every one else pays. The Premium gets the Amenities. If you don't like it, choose a ship/brand/category with NO Haven, Yacht Club or Retreat. This debate happens all that time on every cruise line blog not just NCL. It is fine as long as everyone understands, YOU pay the price YOU get the space. We are all clear now YOU don't like the Haven. Consider that fact clear. I don't like the Haven either, I LOVE the Haven. I would not go on a main stream brand not in one of those premium areas. Allow me to also add, I grew up poor, saved my money all my life and now want that kind of experience. I earned it. Now YOU do YOU. Cruise well and enjoy every moment how ever you want to cruise.

@erisajd I read that contributors post as well. 71 posts since 2014. I thought that interesting. Many cruisecritic.com contributors that say that the MSC Yacht Club, Celebrity Retreat, and the NCL Haven is a slap in the face of the many, many others on the ship especially when the ship is sold out. When I read the post, I wanted to say what you said but a lot harsher. Instead, I took a different path. Feel free to look back at my response. The Yacht Club, Retreat and Haven are premium categories and not designed with the entire ship in mind. The creation of the Ship-in-a-Ship was to attempt to solve the issue of dissatisfaction on a fully loaded cruise ship. Private sundeck to reduce Chair Hogs (Key word reduce) Private Pool and hot tubs for 200 or so guest on a ship that holds 4,000. Private dining room with upgraded foods Private bar with better brands available Butlers which also can be hit or miss but still nice. A place for quiet not chaotic. The list goes on and on. It also has a significate premium. WHY, because folks that would have normally gone on a smaller ultra-luxury ship also wanted Broadway shows, Water Slides, and a huge floating hotel. This is why all those three area's are sold out usually first. When folk put down those premium areas it is usually someone that has never done it. Words like I can go on three cruise for the price of a Haven Suite tend to come up often. Well, that is true but I would personally like to go on one cruise in a manner that I enjoy every if it costs me three times the price. My money and therefore my decision. Yet I support anyone that cruises in any stateroom level. I am not insulted by them. I was one of them until I wanted to improve my cruising experience. So I did and with that came a decision on paying more. Which I made. It seems in our world, anyone that does something different then one choses for themselves seems to be wrong. I say, hogwash. As my adult children tall me all the time. If you don't like my choices, "You do You". The poster that your above comment is for simply needs to do them. I will see YOU in the Haven one day. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Battlement my online name is @Sthrngary. I wrote the original Thread and updated to this thread. I am the one the constantly says the Butlers are Hit/Miss. Did you do a butler letter or did you simply tip the butler on day one? Just a question. On to your real time review. Never say your are sorry for telling the truth. Sure some folks with come at you or say you are being picky. I am NOT one of those folks. I have cruise the Getaway in the Haven. Many of the things you mention I have felt. Yet it all has gotten a bit different as the crowds, staffing issue and almost sold out booking continue. Your feedback will allow others to make a better business decision. What a lot of folks don't get about CruiseCritic.com is if I know and issue, I may be able to avoid it. If I don't know, I might fall right into it. I also have cruise upper end lines like Oceania. Two different animals. NCL, Royal, MSC, Celebrity and Carnival are great for some trips. Regent, Oceania, Seabourn, Silver Seas, and Crystal are for other trip. Completely different expectation for both sets of cruising. Some of what you wrote makes that clear. What is funny is sometimes, those other brands are about the same price as a Haven Suite. You just have to be clear on which approach suit your next cruise vacation. I am glad for the most part you are having a nice time. I am sad for some of your disappointments. I appreciate the time it takes to share your experience so thank you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@jleslie48 I have stayed in the Haven and the Club Suite which is not in the Haven on the NCL Joy. Feel free to ask me anything you would like. I also went on the Joy as a Solo. Happy to help. In the future, with a specific question, just do a new thread. Most everyone here is extremely helpful. Whether you see the benefit of the Haven, or any other stateroom is a personal decision. We all respect those decision on most CruiseCritic.com threads. The more specific you are on your question, the better the answer will be to support you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@jleslie48 Tell us all how you really feel. All kidding aside. I have cruised all of the Ship Categories on NCL. Each have something to love and something this is less then pleasing. I have cruised in a Inside Cabin Stateroom, Balcony, Club Suite, Haven Spa Suite, Haven Penthouse Suite and the H2 Deluxe Haven Owners Suite. Like the ships, each stateroom and each set of accommodations had some good and bad aspects. Our job for enjoyment and reducing disappointment in your vacations is to do some due diligence on our choices. It is important to explain clearly with unemotional yet descriptive words our likes and dislikes and why. That really helps folks make a good business decision. After decades of cruising for me, the only thing that is consistent is nothing is for everyone. So do the research and take everyone's opinion including myself with a grain of salt. This way, the core is always how to make our cruise vacation better. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I had no idea many years ago that this "Topic" would have the original version and an updated version. I also had no idea that the second updated version would have 159 pages of responses. This stream sometimes takes on a life of it self. However for me personally, when someone is so excited about their Haven Suite like, @benel204 it is all worth it. All that really matters is that people have a good time cruising. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@benel204 Congrats. I was in the H2 Owners Suite on the Joy. I did a YouTube Video which I will put the link below. Three Bottles: They will give you a list to choose from once onboard. Lot of choices. Water: The water is yours to use as you wish. Yet you can take it off the ship. Mixers: The soda, juices and mixers are replenished daily at no charge. You tell the Butler what you want. Motion: Not an issue at all. The deck is huge and while the ship is sailing, it tends to be a bit windy. If you have any other question, just ask. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Ronni7770 I was just on the Riviera. I loved it. different vibe then I was used to in all my previous cruises. Enjoy it. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Battlement OK, you are and will be fine. All cruise have something that does not go exactly to plan even if you are a detail person as we are. Go to the pier earlier then the earliest they say. All you have to do is get through security and you are good to go for the Haven. Don't worry about it. Out of your control and make it a fun quest. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Battlement I am not sure where port you are going out of. I would get to the port 1 hour early in this case, 02:00 PM. The first part is the hardest. You just have to get through security. Once that is done, there are signs to the Haven Entrance like for First Class Sky Miles Members at the Airport. These signs are not easy to find so really look. You don't want to get on a regular guest line. I also don't like lines so standing a bit prior to getting through security is for me a necessary evil. Again, just get through security. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@9tee2Sea The core of this side track to this thread was someone with mobility issues on the NCL Joy. They wanted to go out of port of New York. They just wanted to know based on their situation, in or out of Haven Proper? The Haven is not for everyone. It is not for every ship. It is not for every itinerary. It does not met every guest needs. Some guest love it, some like it, some think it is average and other don't like it at all. This is that way it should be. Chooses. Everyone for the most part that comment love to cruise. Having the Haven Debate keeps cruising on all of our minds. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@NclCruiuser I have used Allianz Insurance for every cruise and my trip next month to Europe with my adult daughter for over five years. I had three claims and one really big one. They paid in less then 15 days. Never use the cruise brand insurance. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@NclCruiuser Hello and welcome to CruiseCritic.com. I have been on the NCL Joy in the Haven twice. I read your post and understand your question and concern. Based on the mobility issues, I would stay in the Haven Proper. Here is why. The Joy has a elevator in the Haven that takes you to both Haven floors. It also has an elevator that takes you to the Haven Sundeck. The Haven Elevators are never crowded. Some one suggest HAL, that is a very nice brand. There are a lot of Very Nice Brands. However I am simply addressing your question based on asking about the Haven. BTW, I am the author of this stream. Ask me and anyone else on this thread. Everyone is really nice. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Battlement You are more than welcome. The Getaway was my first Haven Experience way back when. On tipping. Your call and a hotbed of debate. I personally provide the Butler with their tip upfront which is not every ones approach. I toss $20 or so a couple of times during the week at the bartenders in the Haven Bar. I usually wait until the end to take care of the Haven concierge. Four your son and the noodle bar. This is one of my favorite places, my wife and I love it. Get on line about 45 minutes early. I do not think the Haven can help you with that one. This restaurant pack them in for each service. I love sitting at the bar and watching them cook. You usually get a choose for the day one lunch when you embark. I have done the American Dinner and it is not my cup of tea. I usually go to the Haven Restaurant where others who have cruised NCL usually go. A word of advice. The real secret to the Haven is engaging with the Haven Staff. The better they know you, the more welcome they make you feel. Gratuities help but a pleasant guest is the key. I have also do the Retreat. The two are close but I prefer the Haven. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ChiefMateJRK Heck NO, I dearly love it. I am about to go back to Europe next month thanks to Delta Airlines raising my status to Diamond and having a sale to Paris. This is a gift to my 32 year old daughter. I begged her to do a cruise with me but she does not love cruising as I do. So I did my normal due diligence and took care of most of the other details. I am still going to miss not being on a cruise ship but we will get by. Four countries in 10 days. Seriously, I am looking forward to it. Different experience. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ChiefMateJRK Well stated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I know we are all posting with a bit of a sense of humor. That make me very happy. Sometimes, we take life a bit to seriously. Yet some things have been brought up that for me kind of make sense. Cruising scratches a different itch for each person. Frequent Vacations: To some, this is more important than a over the top stateroom. On another blog, there is a person that feels very strongly about taking more cruises and never having an expensive stateroom. This same person loves to tell stories of getting off at different ports to find very inexpensive wines and liquor's. All this is fine until this same poster basically wants ever other poster to agree with them or they criticize those that disagree. Once In A Life Time Experiences: Then there are posters that would prefer not to cruise or vacation all that often. Instead, they would rather have a nicer stateroom, maybe The Haven or Retreat or Yacht Club. Maybe even an owners suite or nicer with all kinds of nice appointments. For this person, the experience is enhanced by as I have said a few time, "Being Treated Like a Rock Star for One Week A year". Vacationing All the Time: This was brought up in an earlier post. I wish this person was me, sure is not. But I get great joy from those that can actually vacation all the time. One such couple I follow on YouTube. That kind, sweet and humble. They both obviously did very well in life prior to retirement. They go on Brands like Regent Seven Seas, Ritz Carlton, and other high-end cruise experiences. Somehow, I get great pleasure watching their experience knowing it is not something I will ever be able to do. Enjoying someone else's experience is a gift. Each example to me is unique, special and share how people can and are different. What unites each example is everyone loves to cruise. For me personally, that is enough. Something about cruising simply scratches my itch in a way land based vacation never had. I am the middle kind of cruiser. I used to be the cruiser that did the least expense cruise. I like to say, I have rarely been on a cruise that I did not enjoy. I would like to add something that makes my cruises really special. For me, nothing is better for me then to go on a cruise with it is my guest first time. That just happened to me and watching their reactions really made my cruise even better. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

OK, let us play this out. Must everyone gets an upgrade "Bid" opportunity. I choose my words carefully. I have to assume this is the OP's question. Here is a, not the, but a strategy. If you want to help your friend, go online with their permission and open their NCL Account showing this cruise. You should see a link to "Bid" upgrades. That is your starting point: What to Upgrade too: This is the first question. Suite, Club Suite and or Haven. Make a decision but understand, if you bid on all three, the first one take is the one you get. You won't be obligated to take all three. Do your Due Diligence: How much did you pay, vs how much is the upgrade you want. For sake of this example here is some math. I paid $1000 per person for my stateroom. The upgrade I want is a Haven suite which if I purchased today would be $3000 per person. Next step is look at the availability of the category you are bidding for. If lots of staterooms are available, you bid lower. If a just a few are available, you bid higher. Does not mean you will get it but is a good strategy. Be Happy with your Original Booked Stateroom: Do folks get bids, yes. Does it happen often, no. Go into this with the idea that you will NOT get an upgrade. Just Book the Category You want: With high inventory, sometimes you can just book the higher category at a great price and eliminate the waiting. Consider this. This is a lot of work if you really want the upgrade so for a friend to do this for me or anyone else, is quite the ask. No computer, no phone, I would personally pass. Just be happen with what you got. Just my two cents yet I wanted to answer the question posed. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Funny the twist and turns a topic takes on Social Media. Since I am the author, I kick in every now and then to emphasis the original reason why I did the topic. First allow me to address some things: Solo Traveling: Anyone that knows me, knows I love the Haven. No excuses, no regrets, I love the Haven. Just call me Bougie Old Man. When I did my one and only Solo Cruise on the NCL Joy, I was in a Club Suite not the Haven. Did I attempt to bid up to the Haven, yes. My bids were to low and that sailing, another NCL Ship had to cancel and those guest were give the opportunity to cruise the Joy that week so all the Haven Cabin's were gone. So as a solo I did the Free At Sea PLUS program. I bought some more specialty restaurant nights. I had a week in the Vibe Beach Club. I call this Haven Lite and wrote about it on CruiseCritic.com. A very nice way to cruise for sure. Did I miss the Haven, yes. Why? Did I tell you I loved the Haven. My money my call. Haven Owners Suite with Large Balcony: Great suite especially since I got it at a bargain fair. I booked it during Covid not knowing if that cruise would be cancelled like so my other I had booked previously. The Joy almost got cancelled. The Cruise I was on with my entire family was a 50% filled, cruise which was the Joy's second cruise out. The first was Thanksgiving. I paid less then a normal Haven Suite today with all the perks given after so many cancelations. Would I do it again, NO. The cost is way to high now. Over double what I paid. But, I will tell you, it was fun while it lasted. Once in a life time opportunity. Once was enough. Inside Cabins: Some how the thought that I think inside cabins are bad has been completely wrong. My transition from an Inside cabin to let's say a balcony was based on my wife's love to have a drink, on the balcony at night. I liked inside cabins because I would never get awakened by the sun because there was no windows. On my Solo cruise, I did a Club Suite because it only charged me for one person instead of double occupancy. Luxury To Me: Luxury as defined for me is kind of simply. Anything that can enhance my cruising experience from my past experience. The biggest aspect of Luxury is Personalized Service. Folks get to know you, your name, you drinks and your likes/dislikes. This service happens much more in area's like the Haven, Celebrity Retreat, MSC Yacht Club or Premium Plus/Luxury/Ultra Luxury brands. You pay for this treatment and if it does not many anything to you, you can choose another brand or accommodation and still have an unbelievable time. You make the call. They key is, read and listen to all comments. Then it will make it much easier for you to make a good business decision for you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@BandAgain Welcome to CruiseCritic.com. I am the author of this topic. The point was to share how cruising, over decades can evolve. Our Inside Cabin with Bunk Beds was the most luxurious accommodations at the time. Just being on a cruise and just being married was awesome. Then as life changes, so does our likes/Dislikes. So like so many others, we got a port hole, a small balcony, a mini suite, Suite all the way up to the Owners Suite. Each transition was fun and exciting. Each came at a different time in our cruising life. All were memorable. Many in this thread bring up cabin's like the NCL Club Suite which is lovely. Just a place to share, enjoy the hobby we all seem to cherish. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Andy0215 The extra perks are for the Owners Suites. You get bottles of Spirits or wine and all the mixers are complementary for the week. In addition, the day of embarkment, you get a bottle or real Champagne. Please make note, that is a H2 not a H4. Cruise well and enjoy every moment

@complawyer I love the way you write. On to the response. I have stayed in the Club Suite within the last two years twice. Once as a Solo and the other time with my wife who won the Slot Contest (That is crazy, she hates to gamble) on the joy when we were in the Owners Suite. I did enjoy the Club suite very much and wrote a piece on a "Haven Lite" strategy. My feeling about the NCL Haven is always my preferred way to cruise with a larger NCL Mega Ship. The issue for me is the price increases of recent. So I choose "Haven Lite" still bidding for an upgrade and other lines like Oceania which for me is a completely different world and vacation. The point of my piece today was to let other know, the suites like the Owners Suite is great but after the initially thrill, it is just another suite. Save the money and do another Haven suite. If that does not fit the budget, a normal suite like the Club suite is lovely and you have extra cash for lots of perks. I hope that clarifies and and answers your question. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Many of you know me from the topic, "The Secrets of the Haven VIP Luxury Experience". What many of you don't know is my first stateroom, some 44 years ago was an inside cabin, with bunk beds, on my Honeymoon. My last NCL Stateroom was the H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony on the NCL Joy. I have had most all staterooms in between. Over the decades of cruising, as my career got better, I could enhance the stateroom on my cruises. That is when I found the NCL Haven. Good thing, I was going to stop cruising. I was getting upset with the crowds, lines, poor service, bad drinks and a host of other experience that were happening more and more often. The older I got, the more I wanted both a place to hide comfortably and excitement. The best of both worlds. However, like a lot of folks you dream of that one Stateroom. The one that only the wealthy can have. You wonder how it would feel to have half the front of the ship as your personal balcony. A full bar set up in your suite. A closet the size of your first stateroom 44 years earlier. A bathroom that you have only seen in TV and Movies. Well, due to circumstances that will never happen again, I had that opportunity. I even did a video on the Owners suite on the Joy. Now two years after the fact, I write this topic. The reality for me and my family is we had a great time. However I personally would never do it again. With all that room, balcony and Amenities; it was lost because after the "Newness" and shock is over, it is simply another stateroom on a Mega Ship. The experience was wonderful but been there and done that. My conclusion was and is, any Stateroom/Suite in the Haven whether in the Haven Proper or outside other Haven Courtyard would be just fine. Just not worth the added expense to do the Owners Suite. Now I recently went on another brand. Oceania Cruises which is a sister brand to NCL. I was in the equivalent to the size and layout of the H2 Owners Suite on the Joy. It was called a Vista Suite. I feel exactly the same way about that Suite. Not saying if you want to make the investment you should reconsider. Your money, your choice and enjoy it if you make it. Now if you have any questions about my experiences, just ask. Regardless of which stateroom you choose, Cruising is still one of the best most relaxing vacations any of us can choose. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.