Sthrngary

Your question was qualified by saying, "If price was not a consideration". That is a huge qualification. I am 65 and since NCL purchased Regents and re-named it; I have always wanted to cruise on that line. I love the notion of truly "All-Inclusive". I am a researcher when purchasing luxury items which either cruise would be. Airfare: I loved that Regent had Business Class Airfare however after further research and study, it may not meet everyone's needs. If you are not in a major hub like New York, Atlanta, Chicago, ECT; there is an add on cost. Also, just like with every cruise brand airfare, you have no control of the brand, number of connections and timing. They also do provide coach for the connection to the hub that actually flies out of the US. Dining: I tend to watch every single YouTube video on brands I am interested to cruise on. I am a food and experience lover. As an earlier reply said, the difference in dining seems to be similar on both brands. With that said, dinning is personal and some folks love one brand over the other. All my research shows that Oceania and Regent dining is better than most. Suite Size: You can get a much larger suite on Oceania with a larger veranda at a reasonable investment. I know you said leave investment out of it. If we all truly did that, I would charter a yacht. Allow me put my thoughts another way. I have found that a GREAT BUTLER can really make a luxury cruise even better. I am more likely to spring for a Suite on Oceania with a butler then Regent. Excursions: Regent is all inclusive so the excursions are supposedly included in the fare. My research tells me this is mostly true however there are some special ones that have an extra cost and the ones they have are first come, first served. Lot's of walking and bus tours which are ok but I like to see things on my own. So this option is nice but wasted on me. Drink Program: Where it is true that Oceania does not include a drink program, they do offer a Wine/Bar drink program as one of the three perks we can decide on. Regent includes their drinks and I would hope so at the investment they ask. Now I want to share that the upgrade to the Oceania Premium Drink Program or purchasing the Premium Drink Program on it's own is far less expensive than if you were cruising on a Mainstream cruise brand like NCL. This is even getter when one person in your party drinks and the other does not. My conclusion is if money did not matter, sure I would do Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Why not. In my world, as hard as we worked to get to this time in our lives, the cost simply has to be a factor. Oceania, for the type of cruising and itineraries they provide seem to give a nice middle ground in my opinion. I share my thought and when I take my first Oceania Cruise Next year, I will be very complete with my overview. I again state my comments are based on research not experience. Just food for thought. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

It seems that ALL cruise brands are increasing their prices from fares, specialty items, and yes spa treatments. Since this blog is on spa treatments, I will focus my thoughts on that. When living my normal life, I rarely do spa treatments. When on a cruise, I often do one or two massages in the spa. I really have never been overly impress with the quality of cruise ship massages or for that matter, many of the spa services; when prices go up we as consumers have a choice to make. It is normal for a cruise ship to have higher prices for these services. We as cruisers are a captive audience. The price listed above seem excessive. Yet I bet "dollars to donuts" (that line shows my age), the spa will still be packed and have a waiting list. All the cruise brands are looking for ways to get their profits and cash flow back to pre-pandemic times. We sometimes forget the financial hit the industry took. The bottom line for most folks is they are on vacation. They visualize having a butler serve them Breakfast in their suite, 5-Star Dining with great service, Having an evening night cap on your private veranda, and yes an occasional spa treatment. Sometimes, it is nice to see yourself being treated like a "Rock Star". Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I have already booked and paid for two deposits. The sale I did was the four category upgrades which put us in a Penthouse PH3 Guarantee. I think what you are saying is be sure to look at the Black Friday Sale and see if you can better your situation. I will surely do that. Thanks for the Heads Up. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I am aware of this. My wife and I took the Basic Drink Package, and we will upgrade when we board. The question is when no drink package was selected, and you have enough OBC to pay the $600.00 for a Premium Drink Package. This is what my friends joining us will do. Currently, I cannot prebook the Premium Drink Package on it's own. Hope that clarifies the question. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

That is funny however I did the same thing. I love that Veuve. The picture shows your wife with a crescent on her plate. It that one of the famous Almond ones only provided to Haven Guests? Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thanks for everyone's help and now that I am booked on the November 9, 2023 sailing on the Oceania Riviera, I have some basic questions. I want to be completely transparent with my questions. I really know NCL and the NCL Haven extremely well. Oceania is different and my hopes are I can better understand those differences. That information is then inputted into a document I do called a "Journey Document". It is like a homemade brochure I do for my wife. On this cruise, it is also being given to our best friends that will be joining us. This trip will be my friends Christmas Gift for his wife. She will be having her 70th birthday on this sailing. They answers each of you give me here will be added to that Journey Document. Both couples are booked in a Penthouse Suite as background for your answers. Can room service be from a specialty restaurant or is it limited too "The Grand Dining Room"? When one has the Premium Drink Package, are all wines listed by the glass part of that program? May I assume that when ordering full bottles of wine, they are not included on the Premium Drink Package? When in the Haven on NCL, the Butler is not included in the "Pre-Paid" gratuities program. Are the butlers included when I prepay the gratuities pre-cruise. Can you use the OBC, pre-cruise to purchase the Premium Drink Program or do you have to wait until you are on the ship? I attempted to purchase this online and their was no button click to put it into my purchase folder. Thank everyone in advance for all your assistance. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Thank for the shout out. Tell Grand Pa to get with the program. Next time, have the bartender give him Three shots. Jack and you choose the other two. Do the Pepsi challenge. He will like them or not but he will feel so much better about the carts in the hall with some good drinks in his system. My favorite drink is the Tequila 1942. They lose money on the package on day one with me on the choice. I know my calories and where to spend them. When in the Haven, I have Prime Rib. When not in the Haven, I have Prime Rib at Cagney's which is actually a better Prime Rib. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Hell of a question. Call the NCL Pre-cruise Guest Services. This program is to new to know for sure. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Ask the haven restaurant

I have done both. They are very similar if you are talking about the Retreat compared to the Haven. You also have to compare the newer ships. Apex/Edge and Encore/Bliss/Joy. The food is great on both however the Celebrity Suite Restaurant has a different menu every night. The layout of the Retreat and the Haven are different also. Both have positives and negatives. I choose NCL over Celebrity because I like the Entertainment on the NCL ships better. If a larger newer ship with Celebrity was a lower investment than NCL Haven, for an itinerary I wanted to go on. I would seriously consider Celebrity again. Ships like the Celebrity Equinox that has a retro fix Retreat would not be my choice. Nor would the smaller NCL ships like the Pearl who don't have a full service Haven. Do your research when spending a premium. Watch ever video available. You really can't go wrong. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I saw Burn the Floor on the NCL Getaway in November of 2019. Up to that point, my wife and I would sit in the back row on the end for all Cruise Line Shows. We did this because we rarely liked the show and wanted to leave without disturbing anyone. The moment that show started, it was fantastic and all I can think about was the drummer on stage. I was a professional drummer in my teens. I was supposed to go to college for music and changed my mind at the last minute. Good thing. The drummer I saw that day in that theatre was over the top. I am sure this young woman is as good or better. At the end of the show, my wife who is even more critical than I am, gave the show a standing ovation. As did everyone else on that theatre. That reminded us once again that one of the main reasons we cruise NCL is the Entertainment. Cruise well and enjoy every show.

Phones are still great tools however I fully understand what you said. I have to Millennial adult children. That is the best approach from my standpoint. I am 65, taught Customer Services as one of my skill sets. I look for the best way to approach challenges. In this case, because my personality is fix the issue now, so I don't have to fix it later. It scratched my itch. Hope it does the same for you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

I did the same thing. Just remember, the cruise in hour heads are always perfect. Cruising in general never go as perfectly planned. So much can happen. Be relaxed and flexable. The mess ups end up being the best memories. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

You hit pay dirt with Maria. He helped me on all of our trips. As a matter of fact, I called her for my next cruise on the Breakaway on December 4, 2022. I am NOT in the Haven but she helped me anyway. She read through my information and suggested I simply do the Free At Sea PLUS. It ended up saving me money and I had no idea it even existed. If you talk with here again, please say Gary said hello. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Great, enjoy your cruise. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

That is kind of sad that there is a difference between Platinum and other options. The amount of money one has paid over time to become Platinum, NCL should just let it be the same. That said, half the time I can't finish the meal anyway so no issue for me. It is such a little thing, so easy to show loyalty to the most loyal. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

This is hit or miss which is why I rarely talk about it. Sometimes, the Haven desk will do this and sometimes they will not. Inconsistant. What I am really careful to do is to set realistic expectations so if your cruise, the haven desk says no, you are not disappointed. Cruise well and I will certainly be looking forward to Syd's on our upcoming cruise.

Hack #1, Attempt to book less people or more people. Hack #2: Book what you can get and go on line to change it if another time becomes available. Hack #3: Choose a different restaurant and see if they have better times. Hack #4: Call and see if they can do in manually from the phone. Hack #5: Take what you can get and make your changes when you get on board. Cruise well and get the Chocolate Cake at Cagney's. It will change your life.

The normal of a cruise is everyone over eats the first two days. When we realize that we are not hungry for dinner, we cut back during the day. The second think that happens on a cruise is the day you body and mine chills out. It is usually day three unless you have Grandpa with you. That was a joke, he looks like he is having a ball. He probably loves his second bedroom and the privacy it gives. I hope you asked for more lounge chairs on the deck. The most fun my family and I had in the DOS was sitting outside, with a drink and some snacks. It is a little windy when the ship is sailing but I did not care. My thoughts were, this is a once in a life time experience with my family. Soak it up. You never mentioned that I recall the three bottles of sprits you should have received. I hope that was just an oversite. Truth be known, we took them all home unopened and when we wanted a drink, we brought it to the room. Old habits die hard. Cruise well and try to spend just one time on the small balcony off the master. We never ever sat there.

Your issue is really that the guest services pre-cruise for the Haven is inconsistant. Some guest get a email back right away and or get to them on the phone to a very knowledgeable person. Others wait and get someone that has no clue. This is a really issue for any brand and I hope they read your posting. It creates disappointment for a premium area prior to the the event. Not the way to start things. Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

Where I think some compensation is due, what happened in not unique on a big cruise ship. It is nothing more then a floating hotel. When they assume everyone is at port, the maintenance team comes out all over the ship. It is one of the few times they have access to certain area's. From a Guest Services standpoint, a notification should have been given to all staterooms that these items and or area's would be closed during certain hours. That is just good communications. That in this case did not happen. My point is, if you wake, purposely don't go the the port to enjoy aspects of the cruise with no crowds; unless you are given a heads up, not being able to utilize those areas is a disappointment during a vacation which could have been managed with communication. Getting some compensation after the fact does not take away from the disappointment. Cruise well and enjoy the spa when you can.

I very much respect your decision. I am weak and worthless. I did both. I am ashamed of myself. My Cardiologist hates when I cruise. Of he is envious. Not sure. Maybe both. All I know is the Haven used to have that same cake but it was round. My last trip they had the same looking cake but is was not the same. I was bumped. Then I had a slice of the cake at Cagney's and it was exactly the same but a huge slice. There went the diet in an instant. I made a deal with myself. I wanted my cake, eat it too and my drinks. I was solo at the time and felt NO GUILT. I got home and paid the price one the scale, lol. Cruise well and eat Chocolate Cake and a Mud slide.

Wow and I do mean wow, that was on heck of a story. My name on CruiseCritic is @sthrngary. I wrote the Op-Ed the secrets of the Haven VIP Experience. I also stayed in 18700 (same as 18100 just the other side. It was on the NCL Joy. It also was a vacation for my family just no Grandpa. I did a video on my experience and the room on YouTube. I read most of your posting but not all of it. The H2 Haven Deluxe Owners Suite was a very special experience. I was also originally on the Encore in the Owners Suite but four covid cancellations later, it ended up being Mexico on the Joy. My adult daughter got the Second Bedroom and I thought she was going to hate it. Instead she loved it. When she wanted to see the world, she just came out. I asked the Butler to put four lounge chairs outside on the crazy big deck and that was no issue. I am not going to say much but I am really glad you had a great time. Can't wait to hear about your Encore experience. We are both all spoiled. Where do you go from the Owners Suite? Cruise well and enjoy every Haven Moment.

I watched a TikTok yesterday. It was people eating the most glorious foods. I purposely watch YouTube videos of folks eating at the restaurants on cruise ships and famious resturants all over the world. Reminds me of being on my last cruise. The voice in the back ground of the tiktok said, "When you reach 65, stop eating rabbit food. We are all going to die someday. Don't die craving cheese cake." I am NOT trying to make fun of unhealthy eating or anyone who passed due to obesity. That is serious stuff. I am just saying I LOVE large chunks of red meat. I love salad also because it is an appetizer which makes you more hungry for the BEEF. Soup to me is NEVER the main course unless it comes with a loaf of crusty freshly made bread with creamy butter. My wife disagrees on my opinion on the placement of soup at dinner time. Deserts to me are NOT deserts. They are an essential part of a dinner and should never be neglected. They used to say, "you always have room for Jello." I say, "you always have room for Chocolate Cake from Cagney's." All my life, I feel like I have been on a perpetual diet. As a matter of fact, I am on one right right NOW 32 days before my next cruise. For me it makes the cruise food even better. The reality is I gained lots of weight because I love to eat a lot. I would go on diets, lose weight and slowly gain it back over time. I know that is unhealthy but it is also on some absurd level, fun (Not really). I know I am not alone in this situation. With all the weight I have ever lost, at my lowest point as an adult, I still could NEVER fit into a Haven Robe. I deciding to sue NCL for using the words, "One Size Fits ALL" as false advertising. NCL had a choice. They could have made the Haven and Spa robe bigger so it could fit ALL. Instead they make me feel like "Tommy Boy" in the movie of the same name singing "Fat guy in a little Suit" as he busts through it. I am just saying............. Cruise well and enjoy every bite and every drink. Vacations and life is worthy of it.

I got this one. I am also Pleasingly Plump, One Size Fits SOME. I am not one of those that it fits. That is BEFOR the many Prime Rib and Lobster Tail in the Haven Restaurant. Cruise well and bring your own robe as I do.