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Thank you and I am so proud of all the contributions on that blog. I tend not to contribute as I once did and allow those on recent Haven Cruise to do all the heavy lifting. It is pretty extensive and that is nice. You can also ask for meals from the Main Dining room menu if you give the staff enough heads up. Still this is a point many don't like especially those that travel Celebrity Retreat or MSC Yacht Club. Search Haven Restaurant Menu on CruiseCritic.com for the most recent PDF. Go on the the NCL.com site, go to FAQ, and look for Premium Beverage Package list. You can also look at the Premium Plus Beverage Package which is an upgrade to the standard package. Their is many blogs on CruiseCritic.com on these packages and what makes them different. Example, on the standard Premium Beverage Package, Bottled Water, energy drinks, fresh juices and specialty coffee's are not included. However, as a Haven Guest those juice and specialty coffee in the Haven are include for all guest. Starbucks is NOT. The daily fee's have just gone up. I hate to sound like a broken record. Those new gratuities are a recent blog on the CruiseCritic.com NCL area with lots of comments. Remember, the Butler is not included in the gratuities program that is put on your suite portfolio. Lots of articles on what to tip your butler are also searchable. Opinions vary. On normal gratuities, that information is available on the NCL.com site. Hope that helps. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@MEFIowa I will be joining you on the Riviera in November 2023. I hope you will allow me to buy you and your significant other an Adult Beverage. Your experience and opinions matter to me and others. I have cruises four times on other brands after the cruising began back. There is no question things are different. Both good and bad. That is a major reason why I am trying Oceania. When folks are loyal to a brand; cruise or otherwise, many become what the industry calls Advocates. They love the brand so much they want to protect it and tell the world about it. Like family members whom might misbehave sometimes, we sometimes justify those actions due to the emotional tie we have with them. I know this feeling and action very well because I an guilty of doing it myself. The reality is cruising changed and the cruising industry has had to adjust. We as paying guest need to openly discuss what we like and don't like. The brand needs to listen to us or lose our business. That is why your opinion counts as does everyone else. Newbies like myself can take it all in and decide for our self. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am the author of the above CruiseCritic.com blog. I also have cruised in the Haven on the Getaway. If you read the above blog, you will get lots of information to help you. Because both of us have also experienced the Celebrity Retreat, I can give you a comparison. The key to the Haven, Retreat and the MSC Yacht Club is the notion started by NCL called having a "Ship-With-In-A-Ship". Throughout any explanation, please keep that in mind. A mega ship experience with a Boutique ship just for you and a few other lucky guest. I have always made it clear that the Haven Restaurant is my federate of all restaurants on Mainstream Cruise lines. The quality of the food, the plating and the service really suits me and I am a foodie also. The downside is the menu does not change at any meal. NCL makes up for that by providing you with the "Free At Sea" program which gives you two specialty restaurants. If you book your cruise with an American Express Card and use an American Express authorized travel agent, you will receive $300.00 of on board credit and a dinner for two at the french restaurant. My choice for a special meal as you asked would be the french restaurant. Not so much for the food as for the experience. Lovely. When cruising in the Celebrity Retreat, you have access to their suites only restaurant. The menu changes for lunch and dinner. Food and service is great also. However celebrity does not provide any specialty restaurant meals. I give this to you for comparison only. If you read the original post above, which was updated in 2022, it will share some benefits of the Haven which are two many to list in my reply. My personal opinion is if you have never cruised The NCL Haven, you deserve to experience it. The way I look at things is every time you try a new brand, you will find things you like, like better and don't like. Many things about Celebrity I liked. Other things I did not like. It is all about what you are used too. When cruising in any mainstream brands "Ship-With-In-A-Ship" you personalized service will always be a great enhancement from the rest of the ship. Hope that helpled. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am a newbie to Oceania as is the author and many respondents. That said, I am also not a newbie to CruiseCritic.com or cruising in general. Every brands blogs have a different dynamic. Other social media brands also are different in the way their members respond or post. Let's take a moment and remember fondly our very first cruise ever. We had no foundation of knowledge and everything was new. I will never forget seeing that ship at the port of Miami for the first time. The short walk from the port terminal on the gangway to the ship. The first dance outside in the warm summer air with my then new bride. It was all new and all wonderful. Each cruise afterward was compared to the first one. The reality of what actual happened was rewritten and imaged in my mind only getting better over time. For me, the same thing happened the first time I did a VIP area on a mega ship like the NCL Haven or the Celebrity Retreat. It was somewhat new again. I also notices on the next few trips, something was different then the first, something was missing or deleted. Never a lot, just enough to slightly notice. This feeling is both normal, valid and human. I am a newbie to Oceania because the brands I have traveled did enough differently to make me want something different, something new again. The hope of getting a little bit of that feeling from that first cruise. If this craving consistency of what we like and constant improvement was not real, there would only be one cruise brand, one brand of cola, one brand of bread or cookies. The only difference from those consumable products is in cruising, the passengers absolutely make a difference. That is the unknown and somewhat uncontrollable factor. I would like to thank the author of this OP-ED for her post. I agree that my decision to book my first trip with Oceania Cruise had very much to do with the way guest here on this social media blog answered questions, handle themselves when challenged, and reviewed their experiences. A very special thank you to the members of this Oceania Cruise Blog that emphasize not to expect to be blown away. To always stay realistic and set ones expectations to be realistic. Creating an unattainable experience in my mind has actually also created dissatisfaction on past vacations. I learned my lesson good and bad. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My first cruise was 43 years ago and it was on the Norwegian, SS Norway. That company name is now NCL. My go to cruise line for many years has been NCL. I like it and I am not alone. I like is a little bit less today than a year ago or before covid. What I like even better than NCL is CruiseCritic.com. All the blogs on many cruise brands. I found CruiseCritic.com to be a nice place to talk about cruising with other that feel the same. Some topics sometimes brings out the worst in us. They are tough topics. In most cases we are all nice to each other yet still can express our opinions. Please consider taking the high road with each other. There are many more blogs and social media site that are know for hateful talk and putting down posters. From my standpoint, if you like a cruise brand and it policies, book it. If you don't but once did, explain yourself and simply spend your money another way. The high road is to "Agree to Disagree". Life is to short to be aggressive to each other. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@BostonGal35 First my situation. I was solo for the first (and only) time on the NCL Joy March 2022. Prior to my solo cruise, I was with my family on the NCL Joy in the Haven H2 Deluxe Owners Suite in December 2021. I also wrote the OP-ED call The Secrets of the NCL Haven VIP Luxury Experience here on CruiseCritic.com. That was simply to give you foundation. The reason I did my solo cruise on the Joy was because I had such a good time a few months earlier with my family. I was looking at fares and notices I could book a Club Balcony Suite for $800.00 which was half of the normal fare. That was very unusual. So I did it. My hopes were to upgrade to the Haven in any suite in or our of the Haven Proper. I figure you know this but others might not. When you upgrade, you have to pay for two upgrades. If you upgrade is $1,000.00, you pay $2,000.00 for example. I did the math and figured how much it would have cost me to do a Haven Suite; took the money I spent and bid knowing it would be two upgrade amounts. I set my budget and that established the bids. While doing so, I ask and research the same questions you are asking. NCL does not care you paid for two upgrades to if you purchased the Haven Double Occupancy if you paid retail. Their entire platform is Double Occupancy and the only time they come off of that is when the ship is not full and they want last minute additional occupancy. You can invite friends to join you in the Haven Dining room with the pre-approval of the manager of the Haven Restaurant. Each person that are non-Haven guest will have to pay for that opportunity if approved. The last I heard it was close to $50.00 per person. You also asked about Breakfast and Lunch meals. Same approach however the fee might change. Regardless of being allowed to bring a person to the Haven Restaurant, I would like to recommend the Haven. If you can afford the premium, it is the only way currently to sail on NCL for me. I have recent had two cruises in Club Suites, with the Premium Plus Free At Sea Program, while also purchasing a Vibe Beach Club pass. I called it and wrote about it as "Haven Lite". I won't do it again. That is a personal opinion. I am spoiled, I know I am spoiled and at this stage in my life; I can choose to make that choice. That is just me and you do you. I hope my experience helps your final business decision. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

If you like NCL, cruise NCL. For a very long time, I liked NCL. For those that have cruised for a very long time, decades, gratuities used to be approached differently. On the last full day of the cruise, envelopes were provided and we the guest would put our tips in the envelopes and hand them out. At the time, it was the norm and standard. As the years went by and this is coming from conversations with actual crew members, many guest simply did not provide gratuities to the crew members. As the story goes, this lead to a literal cut in the pay these hardworking crew members could send to their families. With the exceptions to the cruise brand that make the gratuity a part of the fare, most mainstream brands began this notion of putting it automatically on our stateroom portfolio. The cruise brand knew, if their crew was not fairly compensated, the quality of the work would be affected. That is human nature. Those that truly love and understand cruises, have no issue with this approach. As a matter of fact, it makes it easier for all of us. On a personal note, after over two years out of work, I would give extra to the crew because we all are so blessed. The Author of this post was just stating a fact, NCL is the highest it seems at this time to their competitors. If we don't like that, if we want to do a comparison of overall costs to make a business decision to which cruise line we choose, that is of course our right. Many of you have read my OP-ED's, my postings and comments. You know I have been a fan of NCL especially the NCL Haven. It is clear, a raise in compensation in todays times is fair and again if you don't think so, make that decision. What is not fair or reasonable is to lower the quality of the service provided while increasing the costs. That is unacceptable. That is what our focus should be. When I was a kid, bazooka bubble gum was two piece for a penny. Today it is 5 or 10 cents a piece. Thinks cost more and that is the way it is. However if it is not the same quality and the price is higher, I just don't buy Bazooka Bubble Gum. My money, my choice. As a group, let's make sure we all get what we pay for and if not, tell any brand that it will affect us doing business with them in the future. That is the power we have. Raise the price but don't lower the quality. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Greygooser I am the OP-ED and you are welcome. I see your question was answered above. I can add to the answer with some strategy. In November 2021 I was in the Haven with my wife and Three children. My children are all adults and this was a well planned family vacation. One that might have been our last. At the time the Free At Sea Plus plan was not create but I did have three Specialty Restaurant opportunities. Two from the Free at Sea and one from American Express. My situation is different than yours but I wanted to let you know what I did. I purchase for each child a package with four Specialty Restaurants. I thought about this a lot and my wife wanted the family together at meals especially dinner so I honored her wishes. The additional cost was not as much as I thought and I am glad I did. I am not saying you should at all, I just thought my story might add to your final business decision. Hope it helps and thank you again for your kind words. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Nashna Your comments is quite nice, thank you. Truth be known, I studied many cruise brands. One of them was a very well known Ultra-Luxury Brand. In that study, I was still on FaceBook which I deleted about four years ago. The Ultra-Luxury Brand loyal guests were quite rude to me on FaceBook. They could not understand why I was asking so many questions and thought I wanted to injure the brand. I made my decision that day to delete facebook and never consider that brand. I have found that the Oceania guests on this and other Oceania blogs are not only quite helpful, they are very realistic. The seem to embrace not guest like you and I as we venture in to the brand they love so much. My guest is that many current and future Oceania Guests are like you and I which is a benefit to all. Social media gives all of us a choice. The high or low road. My goal and the people I gravitate to seems to mostly choose the High road. That is my take on Oceania Guests. Hope that makes sense and thank you again. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@39august It seems you and I are both NEW to Oceania Cruises. When I read your simple post/question I fully understood what and why your were asking it. I am NO expert on Oceania however some of what you post represented is why I choose to take "O". So here is a "Newbie" perspective based on the extensive research I have done. What you will find out is that the folks here on this board are really good about correcting statements made so we all are accurate. That will happen to this and other posts. I have cruised and VERY familiar with the NCL Haven, MSC Yacht Club and the Celebrity Retreat. These mainstream "Ship-with-in-a-Ship" concept has been my choice for quite some time now. All those options have private dining rooms with upgraded quality in both food and personalized services. The reason is the Main Dining Rooms are not great on most of those ships. Each stated brand has a few nights of Specialty Restaurants or the ability to purchase them if you like. The above mentioned brands usually are packaged with a drink program and some allow you to upgrade that drink program. It seems, that is what you and I are used too. That is my assumption. Oceania seems to take a different tack and the more you read on this board, the more you will see path being taken. The best approach is to establish that regardless of your stateroom cabin, once you leave it, everyone is treated the same. The cabin you choose will give you some enhanced amenities in that cabin. That depends on the stateroom category you choose. For example only. Penthouse and above has a butler like the Haven, Yacht Club and Retreat. Penthouse and above can make their specialty restaurant reservations earlier then stateroom categories below it. To play fair with all guests, each guest get four guaranteed specialty restaurant reservations yet you can dinning in those restaurants every night on a waitlist basis based on availability. I am specifically outlining a 10 day cruise on the the bigger of the current ships. If you have a penthouse or above, you can have your butler serve you by course in your suite from any specialty restaurant if you can't get a reservation. I must also report that most of the reviews of the Oceania Main Dining Room are excellent which is nice for you and I to know. I know you will like that fact that the water/soda's in your stateroom are complementary. Now when you book a higher category then Penthouse, Oceania provides choose of spirits/wine in predetermined quantities. For you and I, this is like the Owners Suite in the NCL Haven. Oceania made a marketing decision that their guest are not the huge drinkers as one might find on Mainstream brands. So they offered many choices for a perk. This can get complicated so if you want a beer and wine package at lunch and dinner, "O" can give you that option. If you don't drink, "O" can give you the option to skip a drink package and apply the value to OBC or Excursions. You choose and design the cruise with what suites you and your needs. It you want what we know to be a unlimited beer, wine and spirits package you can buy it, or upgrade your drink perk option. The real key here is choices which allow you to only purchase what suite your personal needs better. I wrote a book here because I have been studying Oceania for quite some time and will be cruising at the end of 2023. I hope my relating to what I assumed was your question and the reason helps you. I call Oceania the NCL Haven on Steroids, LOL. I hope I helped in some way. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Woodrowst My pleasure. I do love CruiseCritic.com and the people on it regardless of brand. Thank you for putting up with my spelling and grammar. My intent is always to explain the well though. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@wil e coyote Isn't it great to have a choice? Let me tell you what I really missed on my wife's last trip in December on the NCL Breakaway. I was NOT in the Haven, so I could not get the Almond Croissants. Only available in the Haven. I was so BUMMED. From one foodie to another, Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@wil e coyote GREAT idea. I have a suggestion though. I used to love the Chocolate Mousse Cake in the Haven. LOVED IT. Then they changed the recipe. Looked the same but different. I ordered a slice of Chocolate Cake at Cagney's and it looked different but was the same taste as the what I remembered in the Haven. Just a thought. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

My adult children joined my wife and I on a 43 anniversary cruise. It was November 2021, on the NCL Joy, the week after Thanksgiving. We used all the Previous Cruise Credits, discounts for canceled cruises and money's spent to make it the best family vacation we had ever had. The sun and the moon were in the right positions so we were able to sail in the "Once in a Lifetime" H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony. My daughters was bringing her partner and could not understand why I booked in this place called the NCL Haven. About six months before the cruise, I drafted a letter to my wife and children. I am known here on CruiseCritic.com for writing the Haven Butler Letter but this letter to my family was completely different. I put NCL Haven Logos on the envelope and letter. I used my Lasor printer so it looked official. I sent it to each of their residence acting like I was an important member of the Haven Pre-Cruise Staff. I outlined all the benefits to the Haven careful to focus on aspects that each one of them would love. For my daughter is was late night "Chicken Fingers" from room service. My son it was cheese cake. My wife is was coffee in the morning and select bottles of win on the Premium Plus Beverage Package at meal. There was lots more. It took them about a month to compare notes and realize "Dad" sent this letter. Everything I wrote was correct and they only figured it out because my spelling and grammar was so bad. Just like the way I write these posts, LOL. This was a fun joke I played on my family and made the actual cruise that much more fun. Find a way to make your upcoming cruise FUN for your family before you go on it. Many of us wait a year after booking and this is away to enjoy it prior to sailing. Just an idea. Please post some of the things you have done and let all focus on the pleasure of a cruising vacation. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Quinte Girl Your are more than welcome. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Woodrowst You know, your question/comment is very fair and I want to give you my perspective on it. I don't think the way I feel is the way everyone feels however it might be, so here goes. My cruise vacation experiences started four decades ago. At first, it was just having a nice vacation. When you grow up poor, you dream about having a nice vacation. My first cruise was my honeymoon, 44 years ago. Prior to that cruise, our only vacation was visiting my family. Doing that was something to really look forward too and all we knew. That first cruise was so "over the top", it got me hooked on cruising. My life, like many had a career that got better and better. This allowed my wife and I to go from an inside cabin with bunkbeds to a port hole. Life financially got better so we were able to get a very small balcony. This led to suites and we had a family where my then very young children could join. Mostly Mainstream cruising out of Miami to the Caribbean. When you start with nothing, then life gives you opportunities, for what every reason, you look to enhance that experience. Over decades that is what we did. Not saying always looking for improving the experience is right or healthy for everyone. About 10 years ago, my wife explained to me, she she would love to have a bottle of wine in the cabin for for night time private time on the deck. The Mainstream drink packages only allowed you to have one glass at a time which was ok. But my wife deserved more and I always was very cost focused. We knew we could bring bottles onboard with some rules different brands had in place. Then I started to study cruise brands drink packages, I looked for ways to get every bit of value from the drink packages that I could. NCL had an enhanced program that gave you bottles of selected wine at meals that allowed you to take the remain bottle back to your stateroom. I found that this special upgraded drink package would allow me to have very high end spirits I would never have allowed myself to have at home. So I splurged. When you started out poor, you always feel like you will never have enough because your remember your humble beginnings. Again, this is just me and very personal. Every time from that point forward we upgraded our drink program and to be frank, it made us feel like we were kind of like "Rock Stars". Every time we ordered wine or a drink, we had to show our stateroom card to access those drinks. For us, that was just the way it was, so when folks say, "Yes, but you have to show your card for a drink every time", it is just what we are used to. The only exception was our very first and only "Luxury" (Not ultra-luxury) and cruise on Crystal Cruise where the drink package was the same for everyone and no need for showing your stateroom card. It was nice, I must admit. Our choice to cruise on Oceania Cruises was to again, to enhance our cruising experience now with our best friends joining us. At mid-60's we no longer needed waterslides, go-cart tracks, and laser tag. We just wanted a much more relaxed and classy experience that would provide much better ports to adventure. That was our evolution. My approach is to work within the cruise brands policies. Showing your stateroom card for every drink is just the rules. My wife understands the bottles of selected wines is a "No Go" and she is fine. I know, shots of tequila 1942 is not going to happen on this cruise. If I know the rules, I accept them so I learn them and embrace them. My use of the term "Convenience" is much more about creating the impression of an "All Inclusive" experience on brands that are NOT "All Inclusive". Convenience for me is simply not having a HUGE bill on my stateroom portfolio at the end of the cruise. That mistake only happened once and we learn from our mistakes. So we pay a premium to have the best drink package available based on what is provided by the brand. In this case the brand is, Oceania. We accept from day one that we are over paying. We fully understand this adds revenue to the cruise brand. We accept that and understand it as well. For our friends joining us, they are really pushing their budget to join us. They have never cruised before so for them, they are thrilled to show their card to gain a drink and know that for the most part, the cruise fare and the Prestige package allow them to have a drink or wine anytime they want which is again for them, "Rock Star" status. The $600.00 fee (10 day cruise) is actually less then the cost of the enhanced drink package received on Mainstream Brands like NCL. With cruises, for us and especially for our friends; this will be very special. You see it is all relative to the experiences one has in their life time. To go to a nice lounge/bar, with a well trained staff in a lovely atmosphere and for the most part order what you want on a ship forced on personalized service, enhanced dinning and drinks is all we can ask. My choice of words may not have expressed accurately what we are receiving. My choice of words was poor but I hope that makes sense. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@ORV I can also have a day or two where I just might drink more then usual, lol. On your reference to Pre/Post Hotels done by the Cruise Brand. I initially booked Oceania's Hotel in Athens, Greece for a pre-cruise stay. I then went online to see if I could save a bit on the hotel. I found out booking directly with the hotel was less. Then I added the ground transportation from the Hotel to the Port. It ended up very close from a cost standpoint. I think the key is to do due diligence. Then make the decision that is correct for the individual which is different from one to another. On the Drink Programs, I usually take the Perk that NCL provides which is called the Premium Drink Package and upgrade to the Premium Plus Drink Package. The trip I am on is 10 days so it is $600.00 per person or $60.00 per day using the On-Board-Credit for one seemed fair and reasonable. Only because I perfer spirits over beer and wine. I also want it want I want it. Everyone is different and all of our need are different. The key is know the programs and make your own choice. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

As a first time Oceania Guest, one of my area's of interest, was the drink programs. This is no surprise to many cruise guests regardless of brand. I read lots of streams, comments and op-eds on this topic. They usually fall into a few categories of guest needs. They are: Folks that don't drink at all. Folks that want a glass or two of wine at meals. Folks that want to drink wine, beer and spirits anytime they want. Folks that really want to drink a lot. Folks that are very analytical and do the math on buying drinks individually (Happy Hour) to choose one or the other package. I am of the opinion that drink packages are NOT designed to be a huge value for the money. They are designed to be convenient. When I read folks saying you would have to drink this much to break even on a drink package, they are the Analytical type. We are on vacation, we would like to know/have control of our expenditures, a bill at the end of the cruise with lost of drinks are never welcome. When on a premium-plus/luxury brand like Oceania, if and only if you drink more then a few drinks in a given day, my preference is simply to bite the bullet and buy the Prestige Package. Again knowing I am not getting a deal, I am getting convenience. My point of writing this post is to give a frame of mind. Not tell anyone else how to spend their hard earned money. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@mauibabes Thank you for a well written outline/post. It was very helpful and appreciated. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@njsmom If I have learned anything, Age is not the issue. Unless you want water slides, Go Carts, Lasor tag kind of activities. When my wife 63 and I 65 want that, we go on a mega main stream ship. The research I did showed the average age of 55. Not sure that is right. What mattered more was an elevated cruise experience. Please remember, we all get what we pay for. Oceania seems to be between Premium and Ultra-Luxury. I call that Premium-Plus/Luxury. My research and this blog uniquely attempts to make it clear not to create a expectation of Ultra-Luxury because Oceania attempts to thread the needle if you will. Instead of all inclusive like lets say Regent Seven Seas, it gives choices which than allows for eliminated items that drive up the fare. Your question is about age, I think I have kind of over answered it. Hope from my research, not real world experience that answers your question. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@Jordan61 Thank you for your kind words. I am not gone, just was disappointed in the increased costs and decreased benefits. This too will change as time goes on. That is the blessing of the free enterprise system. "Only when the Value Exceeds the price by one penny does the client buy!" NCL deserves full ships, full Haven areas and profit to make up for the huge loses they had to endure. It is amazing any cruise company is still in business. I was spoiled and appreciate everything I experience in all my adventures with NCL and the Haven. Only GREAT memories and experiences. It is now time for other to experience it. The challenge with a Luxury Experience is when it does not continue to improve. When you first receive it you are completely blown away as you will be with the Haven. Then, and I know this is unfair to say, you expect more. Now is not the time for more in the cruise industry. But status que especially for new Haven guest will as I said blow your mind. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I wrote the "Secrets of the Haven VIP Experience" here on CruiseCritic.com. I did it to allow dialog on what you actually receive from the premium paid to NCL for the Haven Experience. That OP-ED was written in 2019 and updated in 2022. The goal also was to assist creating realistic expectations so the guest could exceed their expectations. During the long history of that thread, many have come to hijack the topic. The folks that liked the thread brought it back which is why it lasted so long. Sometimes, folks made jokes which other thought were hateful or targeted. Others for what ever reason make an incident comment into a political statement of some sort. I personally enjoy cruisecritic.com over other social media choices for cruise discussions. I am disappointed that here on a NCL board doing a fair comparison that we all cannot take the high road. It is just fine to challenge or question a statement. That is one of the reasons for social media. When it becomes personal, it is time to rethink what we all post in the first place. I would like to attempt to bring this stream back to is foundation. So here goes. I personally think that these area's on Mainstream Cruise Brands are wonderful. All of them. They all have positive and negatives just like life. Knowing clearly what to expect and how one area compares to another area is extremely helpful. Especially when prices are going up and quality is going down on many lines including this Premium choices. Please keep the information coming. It is very usefully and helpful. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@GlazersKen 200 with the ability to buy one one time if you lost early. I can't remember what the second buyin was. My wife lost on Round One. Good Luck. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

@geo.mac I am the author of this thread. My first Haven Experience was on the Getaway, many years ago. Prior to going on, I like you asked a lot of questions especially where to eat lunch on that first day. At the time it was not the American Dinner. It was Margaritaville. All the information I could find said, skip it and eat in the Haven Dining room. That is what I did and during that time had a conversation with others in the Haven. Those that Traveled NCL Haven often ONLY wanted to eat in the Haven Dining Room. That day I had the huge pork chops they used to serve for lunch and had a great meal. Over the years, that was my habit. The Haven Restaurant for lunch on day one. Sometimes the restaurant was busier then others. My love for the Haven brought me back again with my two adult children in a "Plus" ship (NCL Joy). They offered the American Diner. My family insisted on going there mainly because of the booths that look like a car. Similar to the famulus scene in pulp fiction the movie. I reluctantly agreed. I had the blue plate special which was Comfort food. Roast Beef, Mashed Potato's and Green Beans. My family had burgers and such. My meal was fine, nobody liked what they got. Regardless of the reason or current policy, go to the Haven Restaurant for lunch. It disappoints me that they don't make this offer or charge for it now. Not at the current prices in the Haven. However my whole purpose in writing this stream was to enhance you and others experience in the Haven. To allow realistic expectations so you exceed those expectations when you go on your vacation. If your ship has an outdoor Haven Dining area, give that a try especially if the weather is good. A little hint. Lunch takes a long time but is usually very good. Take the time to relax and enjoy the Haven Experience. Remember you can drop your carry on luggage in your suite even before it is ready and try the burger which I truly enjoy. The Carrot Cake for Desert at lunch is also very good. Finally, don't expect much from the specialty restaurants on a full ship. They are hit or miss. Always remember everyone in the Haven Crew is there because they are the best of the best that NCL has to offer. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

We had four lounge chairs.